Max the Vampire Slayer
by skweekurz
Summary: Max and the flock leave Arizona and arrive in Sunnydale, where everyone but Fang and Max are captured by the Master. During her quest to save the flock, Max also realizes that it's her chance to save the world... at least from the vampires.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

A/N: Ello, everyone! I'd just like to say that it took me awhile to get everything together and to come up with a good plot and everything, so hopefully this will work out. Anyway, I'd like you to know that this story takes place after STWAOES and after Angel returns in BTVS ("Beauty and the Beasts"). If I add something in that wasn't in either of those histories, then please let me know, and I will try to correct it.

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Maximum Ride or Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Days after we'd left Arizona and headed into California, I was feeling lost all over again. Everyone was telling me that I had to save the world, but I had no idea where to start. Maybe if my instructions hadn't come from a little voice in my head and my "father", one of the few people I knew personally that I would never feel comfortable with again (Jeb, in case none of you picked up on that), this whole thing would be a heck of a lot easier to handle. But no, my life _had_ to be the one everyone chose to screw up. It was like I had a giant target painted on my forehead, along with neon signs that read, "Pick on the Mutant Bird Kid."

Fang glanced over at me, and I could practically feel the suspicion that burned in his gaze. I knew that he was worried about me – days without a good night's sleep could get me riled up, snappish and moody. Today, however, I wasn't worried about sleep – I was more concerned with the whole 'saving the world' thing (and kids my age are usually worried about algebra tests).

"Max?"

I glanced downward and looked at Angel, my baby, who was flying a little ahead of me, though still below me. Her beautiful white wings were sagging, and her blue eyes looked worn and tired. "Yeah, Angel?" I asked in a gentle voice.

She took in a deep breath, and I knew what she was going to say. "I'm kinda hungry. Is there a place where we can eat or something?"

"Yeah," Nudge, who was over by Iggy, gave her wings an extra beat and was level with me, looking at me hopefully. "Maybe, like, McDonald's, and we can get some of those Flurry things, or Taco Bell, or that one place that houses pancakes…"

"IHOP," Iggy said dully. His blue, sightless eyes were aimed directly forward, even though his voice was directed toward our conversation.

"Sure. I think we could all use a good rest and some food," I replied, giving a shrug. Rolling my shoulders, I angled my wings downward and began a steady glide, decreasing my altitude swiftly but smoothly. The rest of my flock followed my lead, and we soon landed in the alley of what seemed to be a small but cute little town. It was hard to tell, what with the moon being completely obscured by clouds. Everything was utterly still as we walked out of the alley and onto a sidewalk.

Glancing across the street, I instantly eyed a pizza parlor, one I wasn't familiar with. You know – Domino's, Pizza Hut, Chuck E. Cheese's – it wasn't any of those. Maybe we'd missed the new trends in food during our "trip" in Germany. "How does pizza sound?"

"_Great!"_ the flock cheered, suddenly enthusiastic. Truth be told, _any_thing would have been great to them. Pizza was just something that we hadn't had in a _looooong _time.

We all headed inside the dingy little parlor, where a young man came up to us, a light smile on his face. "Hello, and welcome to The Pizza Palace (what a dorky name, If I say so myself). How many are in your party?"

"Six," I replied. Plus a talking dog. Hopefully, Total would be smart enough to keep his mouth shut and not say anything to get us kicked out, because, frankly, if he did, I'd boot him across the street, but hopefully not into any unsuspecting bystander (that's the caring Max you heard right there).

He nodded, and gestured for us to follow. "Right this way, please."

He led us through a sea of tables, chairs, and dimly lit pathways that made the whole restaurant seem like a maze. He seated us at a large booth in the back, next to the restrooms. "My name is David, and I'll be your server tonight. Can I get you any appetizers? Or will you start with an entrée?" I hoped I was imagining the hunger in his eyes.

"We'll just take six large pizzas," I said, and fished out several twenties that Mom had given us after we'd left Arizona. "Toppings, guys?"

"I want pepperoni," Gazzy declared. "And, um, I guess a Coke." He looked at me, and I nodded.

"Pepperoni, with mushrooms," Nudge said. "An' a Sprite. And some of those breadstick things." Angel looked at me, indicating that she wanted the same thing. I knew that whatever she got she would share with Total.

"I'll have that Hawaiian kind," Iggy stated, "and a Dr. Pepper."

"Same here," Fang said quietly.

"I guess I'll just have a supreme," I said, clearing my throat. "With Diet Coke."

David paused to write everything down, and then looked back up. "Will that be all for you, ma'am?" He headed away without waiting for an answer. I frowned at him, wondering why he hadn't questioned our order. Usually, one was quick to point out that it was a lot of food for just us, but he hadn't said a word. I shook it off and put it out of my mind.

As we waited for our food, Nudge and Gazzy began a round of hangman, but since neither of them could spell their way out of a paper bag they began fighting. Nudge was trying to convince Gazzy that _currant_ was indeed a word, while Iggy, who had joined in the fight, was insisting that it wasn't. I sighed. From the way they were behaving now, you'd think that they'd been brought up by a pack of hyenas.

Fang leaned in next to me. "I don't like this," he said, so low that only my ears heard. "This was a bad idea. Something's wrong."

Automatically, I did an instant 360 sweep, examining the area around me. It didn't take long for it to register that the restaurant was completely deserted. I hadn't noticed it coming in, because I had been so gosh-darned hungry, but now I realized how eerily quiet it was, despite Nudge and the Gasman's shouts. It was definitely fishy, and I felt my alarm radar begin to go off. I narrowed my eyes.

David came back, followed by four other guys. I instantly tensed, preparing to fight, feeling my wings tighten against my back. The guys all fanned out around our table, their creepily hungry eyes on all six (seven if you count Total) of us.

"We're awfully sorry," one of the guys said, though his eyes were saying that he was not in the least bit sorry. "But we seem to have run out of dough for your pizza. But you're welcome to stay for the show."

I could see Gazzy and Nudge deflate slightly. I sent them a look that read 'Trap'. Their eyes widened as they understood. "Okay, then," I said, jumping to my feet, acting cheerful. "We'll just be on our way, then. Oh, and I don't know if you noticed, but…" I pointed at the other guys, and at David. "That creepy, sinister 'You're welcome to stay for the show' part? It was totally unnecessary." With that, I whirled around and delivered a backhand punch to the guy's the face.

He drew back, startled, and then I performed a roundhouse kick that I could have sworn knocked his jaw out of place from the way it cracked when I made connection with it. That set off his buds, which launched themselves at my flock, David included.

_Who the heck are these guys?_ I thought wildly as I punched the guy again. _People from the School? Some kind of new scientists? Or maybe like Omega, the superman? _It didn't make sense. How would they have known who we were, and why would they have let us in? I mentally kicked myself for not realizing how deserted the building looked in the first place.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Fang snap his fist at David, who managed to dodge away, and kick him in the gut. This made me worry slightly – what was fast (or strong) enough to be able to dodge our attacks? – but I was suddenly preoccupied when the guy I was fighting became like nothing I'd ever seen before. He changed… or at least his _face_ changed.

It wasn't anything like a change from being angry to murderously angry, but it was more like a complete facial alteration. His forehead swelled (ew) and his eyes became a stunning golden yellow. His teeth, which had been slightly yellowed and gross already, lengthened, transforming into… fangs? Okay, this was too weird. But I had no time to think, because in that instant he kicked my hip, sending me crumpling to the floor in a non-attractive way.

I let out a startled grunt, and struggled into a sitting position. I heard Nudge cry out, and I saw that one guy was twisting her arm, almost like he was trying to break it. I let out a murderous roar, and launched to my feet. These guys were endangering my flock, and they weren't going to get away with it. I snarled, feeling like a Rottweiler, and launched myself at him. Caught offguard, he staggered, letting go of Nudge's arm.

I backed up, getting ready to punch his lights out, but then I had an idea. I turned to one of the polished tables, and grabbed hold of it, picking it up. Gathering my strength, I flung the table at top speed (probably one of the coolest things I've ever done), successfully hitting him in the kneecaps. There was a sickening crunch as his legs folded _backward _underneath him. _Ooh._ That had to hurt.

"Slayer," he spat, hatred burning in his yellow eyes. I raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry, pal. I'm not familiar with that term. Care to elaborate before I kick your sorry butt into next week?"

He smirked at me, despite his obvious injuries. "You fool. Nothing can hurt me."

"Except this!" I launched a scissors kick to his neck, causing him to fall back, coughing. I was just nearing him; ready to finish him off, when something sharp pierced my neck. I didn't know what they had done, but whatever it was, it was working – I was growing weaker. Feeling dizzy, I felt myself fall to the ground, and then saw through my fading vision that Angel, Nudge, Gazzy, Iggy and Total were all being dragged away, out the back door. I struggled to sit up, but found that I couldn't.

"_Max!"_

I blacked out.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

A/N: Hello again! I've finished the first chapter of my story, and it feels great! I'll probably go back and edit some stuff, but right now I'm glad to get it over with. I'm trying to think of more ideas, so I won't hit a writer's block or anything. Also, I've decided to use the idea that (spoiler alert) Jeb is in fact not the Voice, so that's why Max won't address it as Jeb. Also, I've decided that there will be only slight Bangel, though maybe more of Mangel. And, of course, Faxness. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or Buffy the Vampire Slayer; no matter how much I wish I did. Wipes tears from eyes

"What did you say happened again?"

"I already told you, I was out patrolling –"

"Who are they?"

"What, am I Knowledge Girl now? You're the one who's supposed to know this stuff, Giles!"

A string of voices flowed into my ears as I came to, alerting me that I was not alone. Groggily, I struggled to sit up, trying to make sense of what was happening around me. What I saw almost made me pass out again.

I was in a large room full of books – a library, obviously. There was a red-haired girl in front of me, looking concerned and amazed at the same time. Beside her was a middle-aged man, wearing large glasses and a suit. He was talking to a blonde girl next to him, who was obviously arguing with him. The blonde startled me – she was kind of pretty, and had a way of standing that made her seem tough. In a strange way, it reminded me of Max II, my clone. Her eyes were a dark bluish green, and she was older but not taller than I was. Pacing around the room we were in was a dark-haired boy, obviously fashion-challenged. I couldn't really insult that – I was pretty fashion-challenged myself.

The redhead looked at me, and then said in too loud of a voice, "Giles! Giles, she's awake!"

Almost instantly the older man, "Giles", rushed over to me, and looked deeply into my face, making me feel a tad uncomfortable. "Are you all right?" he asked, his British accent reminding me of (weirdly) old leather chairs and musty old books.

"Y-yeah," I said, startled at the shakiness of my voice. "I think I am." I tried to think back to the events of last night, trying to remember where I had been, what I had been doing. I sat up, struggling not to yawn, and eyed each one of them suspiciously. "Where am I?"

"Sunnydale, California," the dark-haired boy replied. "You're at Sunnydale High School, which is located over a Hellmouth." He shrugged. "It's a long story. You'll probably hear it later anyway, though." I instantly labeled him as a complete idiot who couldn't outsmart his way out of not doing homework, much less his way out of the clutches of an evil Director (which I had done, thank you very much).

"Right." I took a deep breath. "Now, if you'll just lead me to my flo— my family, then I'll be on my merry way. Not that we actually have a certain place to go or anything, but –"

"They're gone."

I did a double take. "Gone?"

The blonde girl nodded apologetically. "I… I'm really sorry… I got there too late. I was trying to… I was out patrolling, and I heard the ruckus. I tried to stop them, but…" She shook her head. "They took them."

I felt a weak, panicky feeling settle uncomfortably in my stomach. My flock… gone? It wasn't possible. She had to be lying to me. She _had _to be. I felt that somehow, I would _know,_ I would sense it if they were truly… "Dead?"

"I don't think so," the blonde stated. "If they captured them, they'll want them alive, obviously."

"Not for long," the dark-haired boy muttered. I was ready to kill him, but I calmed that thought by clenching my fists. It worked… but barely.

I tried to stand up, but instantly felt a wave of dizziness overcome me, and had to sit back down. Giles sat down next to me and said matter-of-factly, "You lost some blood. You're stronger than a normal human, stronger than I would've expected you to be, but you're still weakened from blood loss." He sighed. "It's just a good thing that you didn't drink from them."

"Excuse me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. I was confused, which is one of my least favorite things.

The blonde cleared her throat. "First things first. I'm Buffy, that's Giles, that's Xander…" She pointed to the dark-headed boy, "…and that's Willow." She gestured to the redhead. Then she cleared her throat, looking awkwardly at me. "This is going to be hard for you to believe… but those things that attacked your friends… um, they were vampires."

Without thinking, I laughed aloud. I felt stupid, but really. Vampires? As in, the Dracula things that drink blood? Get real. Surely these people were more original than that.

"It's true," Willow said softly. "I didn't believe it at first either, but… they're real. Unfortunately." She grinned weakly, and looked as though she would very much like to be somewhere else.

"That's why it's a good thing that you didn't suck that one vampire's blood," Buffy told me. "Because, otherwise, you'd become a vamp—"

I shot to my feet, regretting it as soon as my head spun. "Okay, that's all good, but I really_ don't care._ I need to find my family." My flock… gone… I still couldn't believe it. Fang… Iggy… Nudge… Gazzy… Angel… I even missed Total, despite his slightly annoying presence. "Any ideas where these goons might have taken them?"

"They didn't take all of them," Xander put out suddenly.

My heart leaped. "What!" I yelled, and then marched over to him and grabbed him by the shirt collar, lifting him up. He looked startled. "Where are they?! Who's left? Tell me!" I shouted, shaking him. No doubt that Buffy and those other people would think I was mad, but I didn't care. "Tell me!"

"That guy… the dark one…" Xander stammered, pointing up the stairs.

I dropped him and ran up the little staircase that he had gestured toward, and found Fang, lying on a little cot thing in the back room where the card catalog was. "Fang!" I raced over to him, shaking him lightly. There was a large bruise on his head, and I desperately wanted him to wake up and be all right, though he just kind of laid there, my outburst having just woken him up. Buffy and the others had followed me, and were watching us, making me feel self-conscious. I coughed, and turned to face them. "I –" I began.

"Can you guys really fly?" Willow suddenly blurted. She looked embarrassed, but my mind was elsewhere. _Oh crap._ I had forgotten about the wings (yeah, unbelievable, I know), and now they had seen them, obviously. How many others knew about us? Oh crap, we were so screwed. I reviewed the possible escape options in my head. _I would first slam the bookshelves into Giles…_

"Don't worry," Buffy said. She was trying to look at me with a comforting gaze. "We're not going to… hurt you or anything. We're just curious." She shrugged, a pensive look on her pretty face. "Of course, the whole wing thing is… well, when I found you, your wings were kind of evident, what with them being unfolded and everything." She winced, and then smiled hesitantly. "I think they're very beautiful, though."

I didn't say anything.

Xander cleared his throat loudly, and then said, "Um, so you were wondering where your other friends were, right?"

"Do you know?" I demanded, regaining my composure as I stood up. Fang was groggy, but was slowly coming to. I saw that aside of the bruise, he also had a scabbing cut along his hairline, which must have pulled every time he ran a hand through his hair. Ouch. "It's really, really important that I find them."

"The Master."

Everyone turned to look at Buffy, who had a look of dawning realization on her face. "They took them to the Master."


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

A/N: Okie dokie, another chapter! And just so you know, I do realize that the Master was killed in season one, but I've decided to bring him back for this fic. And because he's pretty dang awesome. Also, I've decided to change the time period for the BTVS part – it's now going to be like in _Angel,_ season 1, except Angel still lives in Sunnydale. Max Ride part is still the same, 'kay? I'm gonna try to put Angel in this chapter (Angel from BTVS, not MR), but I don't know. We'll have to see.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN MAXIMUM RIDE OR BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER!!

"Uh, hello?" I asked, waving my hand. "Drawing a blank here. Who's this Master?"

"Unnnnnh…" Fang stirred beside me, sitting up and rubbing his forehead. I instantly turned to him, and watched as his eyes, which had been slightly cloudy with sleep, cleared. He looked at me, blinking, and then caught sight of the others behind me, and he suddenly looked suspicious. "Who are they?"

"Friends," I whispered. "For the moment, anyway." I turned back to Buffy. "Who's the Master?"

"The vampire king," Giles explained. "He's been trapped underground for several centuries. He's constantly tried to open the Hellmouth, over which we have resided, in order to roam free over this town." He paused and cleared his throat. "At least, that's what has happened so far. Buffy's stopped him countless times, and the Anointed One, his weapon against her, has been killed."

"Giles, does that really _matter_ right now?" Buffy asked. "Max probably thinks we're insane, we're just babbling on and on like deranged lunatics!"

I was angry. They were acting like Fang and I weren't there, like we were statues. I wanted to leap at them, shriek, "Hello? My family's missing and all you guys do is stand there babbling like a bunch of idiots!" and then kick them all to the next planet.

"You two," Giles said, looking and Fang and I, startling me out of my thoughts. "What are your names?"

"I'm Max," I said stiffly. "This is Fang. There, now introductions are over. Now can we _please_ get a move on?" I was really on my last nerve.

"There's no point in doing anything now," Buffy said, perceptibly exasperated. "All of the vampires will be keeping out of the sunlight, trying to wait out the day." She raised an eyebrow at me. "Besides, they won't try to do anything right now. The Master will probably wait until dark." I wanted to ask why, but then I decided to not make things any more difficult than they already were.

"Max?" Fang elbowed me in the ribs. "What's going on?"

"The flock was kidnapped," I said, and his eyes widened. "By some guy called the Master. Oh and by the way, vampires really do exist, in case you're wondering." I gave him a dry smile. "And, apparently, this Master is the king of them. Has this day gotten any worse for you?"

"Exponentially," he said, looking grim. Then his dark eyes flicked over to Buffy and the others. "Who are they?"

"Giles, Buffy, Xander, and Willow. They're friends," I said. "And they want to help."

He snorted. "Them? How can they stand up against vampires if we couldn't?"

"Hel-_lo?"_ Buffy waved a hand. "You're forgetting that I'm the Slayer, although you probably didn't know that. I'm officially _trained_ to kill these guys, so don't worry about a thing." She smirked. "If I don't scare the crap out of them, nothing will."

I remembered how one of the vampires in the pizza place had looked at me and hissed, "Slayer." "What _is_ a Slayer?" I asked aloud.

"A Chosen One," Giles explained eagerly. "One girl in all the world with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires –"

"He really loves saying that," Buffy said sarcastically, and Giles blushed. "I'm the Slayer, so I kill vampires. 'Nuff said." She looked at me, a thoughtful expression on her face. I could practically see the wheels turning in her head. "You know…" she began. "I have a plan that might be able to help you to rescue your family."

"Really?" I asked, trying to keep the sarcasm in my voice to a minimum. "We all know that sharing is caring."

Ignoring my bitterness, Buffy continued. "You're pretty strong, and… well, a girl." I opened my mouth, but she cut me off. "We could… throw the vampires off track, if… if we pretend that you're another Slayer…"

"It would work, too," Willow said suddenly. "I mean, because Buffy died, and that called Kendra, though nobody actually saw her except for Spike –"

"There's no way he'd expect it," Xander added. "The Master, that is… he wouldn't expect it." Shrugging, he replied, "Just thought I'd clarify that for everyone."

I thought for a moment, and then nodded. I had barely said anything, but it was like they were making all the decisions for me. That sent a hot flare of anger coursing through my stomach. I started to open my mouth to tell them off, even though the plan made sense to me.

_Maximum, you can't forget your destiny._

I frowned. Why was it, do you think, that every time the Voice talked to me, it was when I was having a bad day? _Don't worry, Voice. It's at the top of my "to do" list. Along with 'Find the perfect chocolate-chip cookies.'_

_Max, use your brain,_ the Voice said. _Think. If you stop the vampires, wouldn't it help save the world?_

I pondered this for a moment. Could helping my flock really be a way to save the world? After all, I was just going to save four people, plus a dog. Taking out a few vampires didn't seem like all that big a deal, but… Suddenly, I realized: I could kill this Master character, maybe a couple of the bloodsuckers, destroy the Hellmouth thingey, and that way I would both save the world _and_ rescue my flock.

Score.

"I'm in," I said, and then looked at Fang, who was staring at me as though I were crazy. "I'm ready whenever you guys are."

"I'll get you some supplies after school," Buffy said, and then she, Willow, and Xander moved out of the library, all of them quietly murmuring to themselves.

—

"Let me ask you one simple question." Fang was casually tossing a piece of paper, crumpled up, up and down. "Are you INSANE?"

"I don't think that's a simple question," I replied, watching as Giles shuffled some papers on his desk. "But I'm pretty sure that I lost my sanity a few months back, along with my ability to deal with situations like this as calmly as possible."

We were hanging out in the book area of the library, and were talking quietly to each other. Fang, as usual, was trying to convince me that this was a bad idea, that we could be walking into an enormous trap. I, as usual, was wondering why I wasn't listening to him.

"Max, I'm telling you, I don't like this." Fang rubbed the back of his head. "You're so difficult sometimes."

"Oh?" I snapped, having lost my last shred of patience. "And like you're not, Mr. I-Can't-Trust-The-Guy-Who-Helped-Max-Get-Out-Of-That-Hellhole-Of-A-Castle-In-Germany?" I knew I had hit home, because his jaw dropped, and he looked startled. It was a low blow, but I felt he deserved it. I sighed angrily and turned away. "Besides," I added in a quieter tone, "they seem to know where the flock is. I don't care if it is a trap, though if it is, I'm prepared to horribly dismember them. I'm going to take every chance I can in order to find them again." I surprised myself – I'm not usually that sentimental.

Fang placed his hand on mine, and I felt my heart begin to race. I instinctively wanted to pull away, but I felt frozen in place. He leaned toward me, his lips brushing my cheek in a gentle kiss. "We'll find them," he said in a soft voice, sounding un-Fang-like. "We'll find them." Oh God, what could I say?

"Max? Fang? Are you two up there?"

I snapped out of my mushy mode and sprang to my feet, glad that Giles had broken the awkward silence. "Yeah, we're here."

Giles looked up at us. "Oh, good. It's almost sundown, and I need you two to head over to Buffy's. I have the address right here, so you'll know the place." Fang and I headed down, and I took the slip of paper. "Now, I want you to get there as soon as you can, because there's no telling when the Master will begin his ritual, if there is one."

"Great. So maybe the rest of my flock is already part of some freak show." I grimaced as we headed out of the building. "Because while we were sitting around waiting for sunset, he could have dismembered them, saved the heads to play volleyball with, and then barbequed their remains." I seriously hoped that Giles knew I was joking, otherwise I think it would have scared even _me._

Giles sighed. "You should hurry."

Fang and I soared out into the steadily darkening sky.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

A/N: Kuro here again! I'm sorry, sorry, sorry to all the people who expected Angel in the last chapter. He'll be in this one, I promise. If I break that promise, I'll lock myself in a room with no windows and stainless steel walls. Not to mention that I would also place a rabid, starving wolverine inside as well. / Okay, so I'd like to say that I'll finish this chapter, and then probably go and eat something, since I'm kinda hungry. So here we go.

Disclaimer: I know how much you all want me to, but I don't own either Maximum Ride or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So sorry.

It took us only minutes to locate Buffy's house, and once we did, I took the time to make sure that no vampire or other weirdo was near enough to see us flying overhead. If there was, we were deader than dead. Luckily, the whole street seemed to be as quiet and serene as, ironically, death.

Fang and I swooped down into the yard soundlessly, and then walked up to the front door. I politely knocked, and after a few seconds Buffy answered. "Come on," she said, and took us upstairs. She led us into her room, where on her bed she had an assortment of jars of water, crosses, and wooden stakes. She handed Fang and I each a cross and a stake. "The cross will burn them on contact, as will the holy water. A stake in the heart will kill them," she explained. "Simple, but it's a little harder than it sounds." She started fiddling with something in a chest in the corner of her room. "I missed the first time I tried to stake a vampire."

I examined the stake. It was sharpened into a perfect point, though didn't really seem all that deadly. I turned to Fang and poked him in the side. "See if it's sharp enough," I said. Fang jerked and grunted, and then shoved me. "Seems all right," I said, giving him a smirk. He glared at me.

A sudden rustle behind me caused us to whirl around, both of us instantly alert. I saw nothing at first, but then slowly, a bobbing head appeared in the window. Pretty soon, a face appeared, a face of a youngish man, looking around his twenties or so. "Buffy?" he called lightly.

Buffy turned around. "Angel," she said, and then he climbed all the way in. When he drew up to his full height, I saw that he was just a little taller than Fang, who was about six feet. He had dark brown hair, gelled into a casual spiky arrangement. His skin was very pale, making me wonder if he ever got out in the sun at all, though his eyes, which mesmerized me from the moment he had looked at me, were very dark, almost black. He had a certain look to him, a mysterious, charismatic aura.

He looked at the crosses and stakes on the bed, his face unchanging. "Going on patrol?" he asked Buffy, looking slightly concerned.

"Something like that," Buffy said, looking at Fang and I.

Angel (I guess that was his name) glanced at Fang and I for the first time, our bodies still tensed for a fight. "Who are they?" he asked in a courteous voice.

"Fang," she said, pointing at Fang, "and Max." She pointed at me. "I found them fighting other vampires," she said, sliding a stake into the sleeve of her leather jacket. "They're some kind of –"

"Hygiene-challenged adolescents with wings," Fang replied, and I elbowed him in the side. "Human-avian hybrids," he corrected himself, making a face at me.

Angel looked at both of us, a thoughtful expression on his face, and nodded. "I see." He inhaled, a motion so unnoticeable that only my raptor eyes could see it. I frowned. "Your scent is different from… humans," he finished somewhat lamely, looking sheepish.

I raised an eyebrow. _Our scent?_ Was he some kind of… Eraser, or something? A sickened, dull feeling of dread settled in my stomach. We had been told that all the Erasers were dead, but… suddenly, I felt my inner radar go haywire. He was attractive; looking about in his twenties… his whole figure was screaming "ERASER". Oh God, and we'd just told him what _we_ were. That was it. I was going to take him out, right here and now.

"What are you?" I demanded. I held out the stake Buffy had given me, and raised it, keeping steady eye contact. "Don't lie, otherwise I'll punch you so hard that your parents will feel it."

Angel paused for a moment, and then looked down briefly. He looked completely impassive, but I could tell that he was hiding something from the way his jaw clenched, and the way his fists tightened the slightest bit. I glanced at Buffy, who also looked downward. I looked back and forth, trying to figure out which one was the traitor. "Look," Buffy said, nodding at the mirror. "Look closely."

I looked. I was startled to see that only Buffy, Fang and I were reflected there. I looked back to where Angel was standing, to see him watching me, an odd look on his face. I looked back at the mirror, and saw only three. Four in the room, three in the mirror. I suddenly remembered that vampires didn't have a reflection. "Vampire," I said awkwardly, and heard Fang draw in his breath.

"But he's a good vampire," Buffy replied quickly. "He has a soul. Other vampires don't. He doesn't kill or drink human blood anymore."

"Oh, that's fabulous," I snapped. "So he'd just feed off of us instead, since, you know, our blood isn't technically _human."_

"He'd never do that," Buffy shot back, astonished that I'd said such a thing. "I know him better than you do."

"Wanna bet? I've been in your world for about a day, long enough for me to realize that vampires suck. Literally and figuratively." I thought I saw Angel stiffen at that remark, but I couldn't be sure.

"Okay, seriously," Buffy growled, eyes narrowed. "You're acting so immature. I trust Angel, you're trusting me, so why don't you just shut the hell up and listen for once?"

We stared at each other, glaring daggers. She was tenacious; that much was obvious. I felt almost as pissed as I did when I was facing Omega, though of course, that had been much worse.

Finally Fang broke the silence by saying with a chuckle, "Wow, Max. I never thought that there was someone who dared to talk back to you."

"Shut up." I snapped, and then turned to Buffy. "Are we going to rescue the flock, or just stand around waiting for the apocalypse?"

"Okay, okay. Let's go."

—

We ended up in the graveyard, where an eerie looking crypt thing stood in the middle, completely silent. It reminded me of all those creepy Dracula movies that the flock and I had watched when we still lived with Jeb. Just thinking about them made my heart ache, and I struggled to keep from bursting into tears at the thought of losing them.

"Okay," Buffy said once we'd reached the tomb. "Angel, you and I will head in first, so that—"

"Actually, Buffy," Angel interrupted, his quiet voice like water on a burn, "I have a better idea. You and Fang should go first."

I looked at Fang, who looked just as shocked as I felt. "Any reasons why?" I demanded, feeling suspicious of this "good" vampire.

"The Master knows that Buffy's the Slayer," he explained. "When she died, he's not going to remember that another Slayer was called. He didn't meet Kendra. I'll come in with Max, throwing him off. He'll think that she's another Slayer, and it will provide a diversion. That way you and Fang will be able to rescue the, um, flock."

There was a brief silence, and then Fang said slowly, "That's… not a bad idea."

"But why should Fang go?" I asked, still trying to make sense of that part. "If Buffy –"

"Fang will sneak in as Buffy _goes_ in," Angel said, trying to make his plan clearer. "That way, the Master won't see him, and Buffy will distract him. It will be enough time for Fang to locate where your family is, and then we'll head in, and distract them from Fang's job. See what I mean?"

"Oh," Buffy said, drawing back. _"Oh._ Okay. Okay, then. Fang, come with me." She nodded to him, and they both entered the crypt, his dark head bobbing about seven inches above her blonde one. Before they faded from sight, Fang glanced back at me, sending me a silent message: _Be careful._ And then he was gone.

Leaving me alone outside. With a vampire. Great.

Everything was silent and kind of awkward for a few minutes. I bit my lip, and then sat down, feeling slightly uneasy. I wasn't entirely sure of what to say – what exactly would you say to a _vampire?_ And besides, I was still wondering why he had Fang go, and not me. It would've worked out the same way, wouldn't it have? But then again, I was supposed to be a Slayer, so… "So…" Angel cleared his throat, startling me. "You guys are… human-avian hybrids, right?"

"And you're a vampire," I said, a bit sharper than I'd intended. I looked down, suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable. "How old are you?" I asked in a softer voice.

There was a pause. "I'm two hundred forty-one," he finally admitted. "Roughly."

"Huh," I said. "And you don't look a day over twenty-five." He laughed, a sound that lightened the mood temporarily.

"How old are _you_?" he asked then.

"I'm not sure," I said slowly. "I _think_ I'm around fourteen or so. See, the flock and I don't really know much about our actual birthdates, but Fang and I are around fourteen…" I stopped myself, realizing that he could use all of this information against me. Jeez, I really needed to work on keeping my guard up.

We waited for a while, neither of us saying anything. I finally decided that I couldn't wait any longer, so I stood up and stretched briefly. "Okay, I think we've waited long enough. Let's go." Angel stood up, and we both headed inside the silent crypt.

For a while, I could hear a shrill squeak of a rat every now and then, or sometimes a drip of water from a leaky pipe, but after a few minutes of endless wandering, everything got deadly silent. It freaked me out a bit, and I longed to hear something, _anything._ But all was quiet. The only thing I could hear was mine and Angel's footsteps in the dark. I realized that the heavy breathing I heard was my own, and that he'd been quieter than I thought was humanly possible (notice the word 'humanly'). "Do you… breathe?" I whispered, not realizing I'd spoken the words out loud.

"No," he replied, also whispering. "At least, I don't need to. My lungs don't absorb oxygen." He smiled dryly. "My heart doesn't beat, either, if you listen very closely." I fell silent, and I realized that he was right (and I have very good hearing, as you know).

We were nearing a dim light ahead in the tunnel. I wasn't entirely sure why, but I wanted the walk to the cavern to last much longer. Trying to slow my step, I murmured, "How are you… well, Buffy said that you were a good vampire, and that you didn't drink human blood. Why?"

There was a deep silence, and I had the feeling that he wasn't going to answer that one. I sighed and picked up my pace. But then, suddenly, he spoke. "I… well, I'm… I have a curse."

"Curse?" I wasn't sure of how to look at that.

"About a hundred years ago," he said softly, "I killed this girl. She was of a Kalderash clan; gypsies. The elders came up with the perfect punishment – they restored my human soul. Usually, when you become a vampire, the demon takes your body, but not your soul. You don't have a conscience, so you don't feel any guilt for killing people._"_ He fell silent, and when he spoke again, his strangely lulling voice was a bit huskier, like it was painful for him to go on.

"I was haunted by the things I'd done, the crimes I'd committed… it's hard to not feel remorse when you have a human soul and you've… you've… done some bad things." I realized that he was using that as a substitute for actual deeds that he couldn't mention. "I haven't fed on humans ever since." He paused. "I don't know why I'm telling you all this, but… there's something about you that makes me feel at ease."

I didn't say anything. For some reason, I felt at peace… calm. Like he had said that he had… oh, jeez, I was losing it. I was _not_ going to throw my emotions at a freaking _vampire._ Besides, Fang and I… between Fang and I… there was nothing, I realized as my heart sank. He had kissed me a couple of times, but I had always freaked out, either flying off or ignoring it. He was probably irked at me for that. Also, Angel was probably already in love with that Buffy girl. Not that I cared or anything.

"Are you afraid?" Angel asked me in a low voice.

"Well, who wouldn't be?" I practically shouted. I flushed, realizing how loud I sounded. "Well… I mean, we're about to go charging into a cavern full of _vampires,_ and I also have to deal with the fact that my flock is being held _hostage."_

"I'm not talking about that," he said slowly, and then stopped. I turned to look at him, and he was staring at me with those dark, penetrating eyes. "I mean… are you afraid of me?"

"Well…" Jeez, why had he asked me that? "I'm… not sure. You seem like you're… um, a nice guy." I narrowed my eyes at him. "But I'm Maximum Ride. I can't trust you completely until I know that you're true to your word." I crossed my arms. "And if you _do_ try to kill me, let's just say that I'm ready to kick your vampiric butt across the Pacific."

His mouth quirked. "Maximum Ride." The grin then grew into a genuine smile. "That's a strong name. Tough." He then looked away slightly. "Like you. It reminds me… of Buffy." He looked a bit embarrassed as he said this.

I frowned, but then smiled. I couldn't help but feel pleased that he'd compared me to a girl that he already knew. It meant that I was gradually being accepted.

We headed toward the dim light, which grew brighter and brighter as we neared it. I pulled out the stake, rustling my wings a bit, and I heard Angel take a deep breath (hey, they're wings. What did you expect?), though I wondered what good it would do him, since he said that he didn't breathe. I tensed as I neared the entrance, feeling like I was about to burst from the suspense. Then I saw them.

Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel. My flock.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

A/N: Hooray! I've finished the first four chapters of this fanfic, and I'm now writing the fifth! I've gone back and edited some stuff, so most of what you're reading is edited. I'm trying to lengthen my story, trying to make it seem longer, but I also don't want to bore the readers. I'm hoping that this story will be a few chapters long, maybe like fourteen or fifteen, but I'm hoping that I won't encounter writer's block; otherwise I may have to chop some things up. I'm kind of just rambling on right now, so I'll let you get back to the reading!

Disclaimer: For the last time, I don't own Maximum Ride or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, okay? Just deal with it.

I was practically about to erupt. My flock was right in front of me, that close, _right freaking there,_ and I was just sitting around doing nothing. I wanted to hurtle inside that cavern and wrench the bars apart right then and there, but before I could do anything Angel grabbed my arm and my hand to keep me from going in there.

"Max, just hold on! You don't want to go charging in there. The Master's probably distracted by Buffy, so if you just race in, it'll ruin the plan."

"Angel, my flock is _just ahead of me_! You don't expect me to just sit here and do nothing!" Although I was angry, years of flying and keeping under radar had taught me to keep my voice down, even when I was ready to explode.

"Max, trust me. Wait and listen. They'll give us a cue." His voice was tighter, and his grip tightened reflexively on my arm.

I stopped struggling, and Angel released my arms. I noticed that one of his hands had a slight, reddish burn mark on the palm. Frowning, I looked down at myself, wondering where the mark had come from, and then saw that I had been holding the cross in the same hand that he had grabbed to restrain me. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"It doesn't hurt," he responded with difficulty. "I'll live."

"Technically," I muttered, but he didn't smile.

"Okay, you guys," I heard Buffy's voice carry out through the tunnel. "We can do this the hard way, or… actually, there's just the hard way." She sighed, and there was a shifting noise that seemed to be coming from vampires closing in. "Looks like we're goin' the hard way." I heard a terrible snarling, and then everything seemed to explode inside the cavern. Angel pushed me toward the entrance, and I strolled in, trying to act like the Slayer might. Like Buffy might.

_Just act natural, Maximum. _For once, the Voice had given me advice worth listening to.

"This is definitely not what I expected," I said, looking around as I entered. The vampires all froze and turned to look at me, their fangs glistening. "I thought there'd be plasma screen TV's, stereos, maybe a snack bar (no irony intended), but this…" I gestured around me. "This place is horrible. You guys really need to work on living in the twenty-first century." I took a deep breath, feeling as though I were about to throw up. My hands were trembling slightly, but I was on a roll. "I mean, really. You guys don't have any mp3s, iPods, or _anything." _I half-glanced at the cage that held my flock. It was taking everything I had to not launch myself at it and tell them that it would be all right. "Let me tell you, I've faced eviler things than vampires." I looked at all the ugly faces around me. Growling. Hungry. "I hope you guys have something worse than fangs."

"Who the hell are you?" One of the vampires growled. "Some Slayer wannabe? Why don't you just leave, and you'll spare yourself some limbs." I looked at him, and he snarled again. "Piss off!"

"Now, that's not very nice," I said, frowning. "How would you like it if I'd said that to you?" I walked up in front of him. "Only I'd say it like this." With that, I punched him, hitting him dead in the teeth. He snarled, and then launched himself at me. I remembered the stake, and then I whipped it out, feeling him crush against it. He looked startled, and then suddenly exploded into dust. "Oh, wow," I murmured, feeling slightly weak.

"Max!" shrieked Nudge. "Help!"

I searched for Fang, and found him practically blending into the dimly lit cavern. "Get them out," I hissed at him, and then Angel charged in, holding a stake. It made me stop in my tracks for a moment, as I remembered how he was a _vampire._ A vampire that killed other vampires, but had once been as murderous as the others. Of course, I realized, it meant that when he killed, he drank their _blood. _I shuddered slightly.

Buffy turned to face Angel. "You take care of business down here. Max and I will go and get the Master."

"I'm already here."

We both whirled around to face what was probably the ugliest vampire the world had ever seen. His face was like a bat, and he had reddish stains around his mouth, presumably blood. His outfit, a leather type of suit thing that reminded me of Spock from _Star Trek,_ would have been cool if it weren't on a bald guy in serious need of a facial. "Okay," I said slowly, "I've heard about you. You're the Master, right?" I shook my head. "I'll just say this: You are one ugly vampire."

"Two Slayers, I presume?" The Master eyed both Buffy and me, his bloodred eyes hungry and yearning. "I've always wondered if your death would call another Slayer." He turned to look at me. "You two look alike… I can't decide which of you is the prettier one."

"Well, I'm not normally one for looks," I said with a shrug, "but thanks for the kind-of compliment. Getting to the point, we're just gonna rescue the bunch of mutant bird kids back there, and then we'll be heading back to ground level." I felt my anger rising. I was prepared to take the whole room out. Fang was struggling with the lock on the cage, and Angel was backing him up. "You know what?" I said, suddenly feeling a rush of adrenaline. "I'll be perfectly honest. I really don't like you. As a matter of fact, I hate your guts." I glanced at the flock. "And you know what else? I'm thinking that your head on a stick would be the perfect ending to this horror novel."

"Max," Buffy hissed.

Suddenly the Master raised his hand. I felt an odd tingling in my head, though it was nothing more than an annoying buzz. "Tsk, tsk. You're a very _rude _Slayer, I might say." He shrugged. "No matter. I'll kill you either way. Now…" He concentrated harder, his eyes narrowing. "Come here!"

"Make me, loser," I snarled meanly.

He growled, and then, within a flash, he was right in front of me. I almost gasped, but managed to keep it in. "I'm tired of all your childish rants. You're no better than her." I knew he was talking about Buffy. "I really expected more from you. I'm disappointed. So I'm going to end this right now." He grabbed my neck. I reached up, using my inhuman strength to try to push him off, but he was a heck of a lot stronger than I was. Gasping for air, growing panicky, I squirmed, thrashing like a fish out of water, but I couldn't fight him off. I felt his fangs draw close to my throat.

"Let her go!" I saw a blurred dark shape (Angel) barrel into the Master's side, knocking him off balance. He stumbled, startled but not hurt. It was enough to get him to release me, though, and I fell to the ground, landing on a sharp, protruding pile of rocks. I grunted as my arm hit the rocks, and as I tried to clear my hazy vision, I felt something warm and wet seeping through my jacket. Blood.

Buffy grabbed my hurt arm (making me hiss in pain), and jerked me to my feet. Fang was at my side, helping me up. Angel rushed over, and then Buffy shouted, "Run!" Fang and I followed Angel out, letting him lead the way out into the tunnels. I could hear the Master let out an infuriated roar.

Once we'd neared the entrance to the crypt, Fang and I slowed, not breathing very hard, since our lungs were developed to be able to breathe in very thin air. Fang examined at my arm, and then pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, wrapping my wound with it. "Does it hurt?" he demanded.

"I'm fine." I turned to look at Angel, who was turned away from us, shaking his head. "Hey," I said, a bit breathless. "Are you okay?" He didn't reply. I reached out to lightly touch his arm, but he jerked away, his face shrouded in darkness.

"Get away from me!"

"What's with you?" I snapped, and suddenly he whirled around, and what I saw shocked me. His face had transformed into the vampiric face that I'd seen on all of the vampires except for him. That alone was bad enough. What made it worse weren't just the physical changes – it was also the look in his eyes. His eyes seemed empty, blank, and wild… like an animal's. He seemed to be struggling internally, breathing heavily, looking at me with a longing… a _craving…_ that almost frightened me. I looked at my slightly bandaged wound, at the blood leaking out of it. "You're…" I started. Angel's fangs glinted in the moonlight, and he pulled away from me the slightest bit. _He wanted my blood._

Fang seemed to read Angel's mind, because he drew his arm around my waist, pulling me to where he could defend me if necessary. "No," he snarled. "You won't touch her." I was almost shocked at the viciousness in his normally quiet voice.

Angel growled, very deeply in his throat, but said nothing. He shook his head and took several deep breaths, struggling to gain control of himself. After a minute, his face transformed back into his human one, and I felt a tad more comfortable. He looked away, even though his face was back to normal, and let out a ragged sigh. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, his voice hollow and ashamed.

I felt guilty for thinking that he would bite me. He didn't want to hurt me, and he was _forcing_ himself not to hurt me. Unafraid, I reached out and gently patted his arm. He looked at me, startled by my sudden bravery (after all, who would come so close as to touching a _vampire?)._ I felt Fang's eyes on me, and I felt my cheeks get hot. "Um… shouldn't Buffy…?"

At that instant, Buffy came charging through the crypt, her eyes wide and her face slightly shiny with perspiration. I could hear terrifying snarls reverberating in the tunnels behind her. "Run!" she yelped, "They're right behind me!" Well, you don't have to tell me twice.

We ran. I wished I could leap into the sky and let the wind to the rest, but I would feel bad leaving Buffy and Angel on their own. I looked at Buffy, and then asked, "Do you think you guys can outrun them?" They both nodded. "Fang and I will meet you back at your house, then, Buffy." Buffy agreed, and then I looked at Fang.

"U and A," I said. "Now!"

We propelled ourselves into the air, our wings brushing each other on every downstroke. I could almost hear the excitement in Buffy and Angel's reaction, but I hardly took pride in it.

We had failed. I had failed. And my flock was still at the hands of the Master. Reaching my breaking point, I screamed as loud as I possibly could. Fang swooped underneath me, and then somehow gathered me into his arms. I struggled, trying to flap my wings, but his hold had caused them to tuck automatically. "Put me down!" I screeched, thrashing.

"When you're not about to lose it."

I fought, trying to get him to release me, but his iron grip seemed to have gotten stronger. I finally gave up, falling limp in his arms. I let him carry me to Buffy's house, where Buffy was. She watched as we swooped and landed smoothly, like poetry in motion. I almost laughed aloud. It seemed like a scene out of one of those disgusting romance novels, where the hero carries the heroine. Fang was hardly Prince Charming, though.

Buffy sighed. "Angel went home," she said with a melancholy look. "I tried to convince him to stay, but he said that he needed to look something up." She sighed, deeper this time.

_He doesn't want to be near me,_ I thought. _He's afraid that he'll try to bite me._ It was strange, to think that I was able to think of him as a good vampire when just moments ago he seemed about ready to drink my blood. He must care, I realized, otherwise he wouldn't try to stop himself from biting me.

I had no idea how I felt for him, though – my emotions were swirling around in my heart that it made me feel dizzy. I took a deep breath, and trudged into the house with Fang and Buffy. The main thing that pained me now was the fact that I had failed. I, Maximum Ride, had failed to rescue my flock. I was just about ready to throw myself in front of a train.

I had failed.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

A/N: Whew, I'm so freaking tired. My head hurts, I had to run the mile… jeez, you'd think high school is easy. Anyway, I'm gonna try to finish this chapter after dinner, because I'm thirsty, tired, and need food. I think I'm off to a pretty good start. Also, just so you know, I realize that I'm making Max a bit more sensitive than she is in the series, but it's all necessary in order for the plot to move along. I haven't decided what I want the Master to do with the flock, but all of you are welcome to give me ideas. Anyone who can tell me what kind of romance will occur between Angel and Max gets a thank you, a hug, and can spend one free summer at Disneyland and California Adventure with their favorite character from BTVS or Max Ride. Anyway, it's time to read more fic, so what are you waiting for?

Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Quit confusing me with James Patterson and Joss Whedon.

The next morning when I woke up, I found that Buffy was gone.

"She's in high school, what do you expect?" Fang muttered from his sleeping place under the bed.

So that basically meant that we had to get over to that dinky little library and give Giles the 411 about what had happened last night. I stood up, stretching, unfolding my wings a little, and headed into the bathroom to splash water on my face. As I stared at my wet reflection, I noticed that my hair was slightly straggly and that my eyes had exhaustion circles under them, despite my recent sleep. Suddenly a dark shape appeared in the corner of the mirror, and I turned around to face Fang. "What?"

"You really miss them." It wasn't a question.

I was a bit startled. "Well, yeah," I said, making a 'duh' face. "Why? Are you not collapsing from the trauma of knowing that your family is in the clutches of an evil mastermind who's in desperate need of a facelift?"

Fang's mouth quirked. "Almost, with you worrying me."

"I'm worrying you. That's a surprise." I started to walk out of the bathroom when he put his arm in front of me, creating an obstacle. "What are you doing?" I demanded, trying to push past him. He wouldn't let me.

"Max, I know that you're trying to rescue them. You're trying real hard. But that's the problem – you're trying a little _too_ hard. You're overexerting yourself, and it's keeping you from being able to recover properly. There'll be a time, but it's not now."

"Are you saying that I should _forget_ about the others?" I asked, feeling anger start to prick its way up my spine. "Are you suggesting that I save my own butt instead of theirs? Because if you are, please tell me, so then I can murder you."

Fang made a face. "You _know_ what I meant," he snapped, irritated.

"Care to clarify? Because the way you're describing this plan of action, it's about as clear as pea soup."

He threw his hands up in exasperation. "Max, get a grip. I mean that you should give yourself time to recover so that you can fully unleash your –"

"My what? Power?" I felt my hands shaking from pent-up rage. "You talk about me as though I'm a _project._ An _experiment."_ His eyes flickered. "Well, I've got news for you, but I'm not your run-of-the-mill mutant, so I'm bound to break a few rules."

"Why are you being so difficult?" he demanded, his eyes burning into mine. "If you would just talk to me—"

"Why do you want to hurt me?" I snarled, and he jolted back, surprised. "I'm trying to get over the fact that I _lost my flock,_ and you're telling me to just _talk to you?_ What the hell's wrong with you? I can't sit here! That's not me! I need to _save_ them, Fang, so I can save the _world!_ That's the whole point of why we're here! I kill the vampires, save the flock, destroy the Hellmouth, and that saves the world! God, you are so _stupid!"_ I was shouting by the time I reached the end of my tirade. Fang stared at me, his eyes wide. I was surprised at myself – I usually don't yell too much at Fang. I drew in a shaky breath.

"Max –" he began.

"Don't talk to me," I snapped, and then pushed past him into Buffy's room. I threw open the window and jumped outside, right into the morning sky. I unfurled my wings, and then I felt a drag in the wind, carrying me up, up, and up into the wide blue yonder.

As angry as I was, flying helped me calm some. The cool air blowing on my face soothed my emotions, and I felt the knot in my stomach loosen. I exhaled, and gave my wings a strong flap, soaring upward even more. I decided that if Fang wasn't going to help me rescue the flock, then I would have to do it myself.

I headed toward the crypt, and landed a bit clumsily next to the entrance. I tucked my wings in, and after scouting the area for any vampires (though I remembered that they couldn't come out during the day), I slipped inside the tomb.

It was much easier to see everything, and when I headed down into the tunnels, my vision easily adapted to the dim light. I was able to find my way, using the internal compass I possessed to help me locate the cavern where I knew the flock was located. I wished that the tunnel was wide enough for me to fly in, because I could get there so much faster without having to make much noise. Instead I power-walked toward the cavern, hoping I'd get there before it was too late.

—

(Change in scene; Fang's POV)

As soon as Max had taken off, I felt like a jerk. Why had I said all of that stuff to her? I knew that it had upset her; she had stopped using a sword and was now using an axe. I angrily slammed my fist into the wall. Big mistake. I punched a good, solid hole through the cement and plaster, earning myself bruised knuckles. I growled to myself.

I headed downstairs, knowing how foolish it would be to chase after Max. Wherever she was, she was probably long gone by now – her ability to fly super fast would see to that. For some reason, though, I didn't think she'd go far. Call me crazy, but I guess it was due to the fact that I had put up with her for fourteen years that I was practically able to read her thoughts.

_She's probably gone to that vampire Angel's house,_ I thought, and the thought of that made my fists clench. From the moment I had heard his name, I realized that I wouldn't like him. First of all, it was the name of my youngest 'sibling', and it was a painful reminder that our Angel wasn't here with us. Secondly, he was a _vampire,_ one of the creatures that had kidnapped the rest of the flock. Thirdly, I thought that Max was _crazy_ to trust him, which she had from the moment she'd met him. It made me angry, how she could trust a complete stranger in a matter of minutes, whereas it had taken her fourteen years to be completely honest with me.

I'd hated the way that Angel had looked at Max, the way he had stared at her with… _hunger _in his eyes. I could see that he was visibly trying to control himself, but I knew that even though Buffy had said that he was our friend, he probably wouldn't hesitate to kill Max. I had tried to protect her, which I knew was stupid, since Max was the type of person to beat you head over heels if you suggested in any way that she was weak. Instead of shying away from him, Max had _comforted _him. Which was a perfect reason to label her as completely bonkers.

I shut my eyes for a moment, remembering things. Max. She was tough. She had a way of hiding her emotions, a way of setting aside her feelings when it came down to fighting to the death. The only time that she wasn't like that was when she was bandaging one of the flock's wounds, calming Nudge or Angel down after a nightmare, or when she silently guided Iggy's hand to something that he couldn't find.

Or, sometimes… when she looked at me.

My heart beating a little faster, I leaned against the wall, and then sank to the floor in a sitting position. I closed my eyes again, picturing Max's perfect face in my mind. It wasn't nearly as great as having her here with me, feeling the slight warmth her body temperature gave off.

She was not like other girls. Aside from the fact that she was a 'genetic hybrid' adolescent, she was also a great leader. She had had more to handle in her fourteen years than most people would deal with in a lifetime, and all in all, she did a dang good job. But she wasn't perfect. Nobody was.

I pictured the way she looked when she was fighting Erasers, her face like stone; dead serious, angry, ready to do some damage. She looked dangerous, yet beautiful when she was like than. Max snapping her wings out and leaping into the air, looking so incredibly powerful and graceful that it took my breath away.

Her soft lips pressed against mine, just a couple of weeks ago, when we had been hiding out in a cave.

I sighed. Max was the toughest, smartest, coolest, and prettiest bird kid there was around, and she knew it. The only problem was that she didn't see that I thought so, too.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

A/N: Okay, I'm probably going to go to sleep now, otherwise do the homework I didn't finish. So, I'll be back tomorrow, okay? signs off Okie dokie, I'm back! I realize now as I read back through my previous chapters that when I did Fang's POV, I kind of sounded like James Patterson in STWAOES, so I apologize to everyone who thinks I'm plagiarizing. I'm not trying to, and if I do on accident, please let me know. Okay, so I'm kind of tired right now, so I may just blow this chapter off and talk about nothing, or I may move along in the plot. I'm starting to get some writer's block, which really sucks, but I will defeat it! holds up fist; the song 'We Are the Champions' plays Okay, just a random moment there. Anyway, let's get on with the fic!

Disclaimer: I. Don't. Own. Maximum. Ride. Or. Buffy. The. Vampire. Slayer.

(Back with Max's POV)

The cavern was just ahead. I was thankful for the inner compass that my genes possessed, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to find this place again. As much as I hated it, I knew I needed to come back. My flock was here, and this time, I wasn't going to fail to save them. If I did, I would just as soon throw myself off a cliff. With my wings tucked _in._

I fell into a quiet step as soon as I came to the entrance of the cave. I wished that I had the ability to become invisible, because _that_ would be a really handy trick right now (where were new skills when you needed them?). Instead I tried to send a thought to Angel, hoping that she would be listening, and hoping that she wouldn't alert any of the other vampires if she was. _Angel? Can you hear me?_

I could see Angel, leaning up against the bars of the cage. She looked wilted, tired, but as soon as I thought the words at her, she perked up. She looked around, obviously searching for me, but then she grew still, her face calm. _Max?_

I'm here. Just don't say anything. See if you can mess with the vampire's minds. I'm going to get you guys out, I promise.

I saw Angel nod the slightest bit, and then she went to work on concentrating. I could almost see her brow furrow, and I felt my heart pound a bit. A rush of adrenaline pumped into my veins, and I had a strange feeling, the feeling that comes right when you're about to be found in the game hide-and-seek. I couldn't really describe it; it was just an odd feeling. I would've felt better if Fang were there, ready to back me up.

Creeping in stealthily, I made my way over to the cage, noticing how the vampires kept their demonic faces on all the time. I was reminded briefly of Angel (the vampire one), and how he had struggled in that one moment, fighting against the thirst that must have been overwhelming.

Trying to get my head back into what I was doing, I neared the cage, moving along as silently as I could. I tentatively stepped onto a rock, which crumbled. I saw the vampires stiffen, hearing a disturbance, and I felt a rush of panic, but forced myself to stay calm. _You're okay, Max. You can do this._

Excruciatingly slow, I finally reached the cage, and saw Gazzy, Nudge and Angel's faces, saw their excitement. I knew that they were elated to see me, and I vowed that even if I didn't get out of here alive, I would make sure that my flock did. Taking a deep breath, I seized hold of the bars and braced my muscles. I knew it was going to make noise, so I was poised in a position that would not allow myself to be sneak attacked. I rustled my wings slightly, though I was careful to keep them tightly tucked to my back for protection. I then took a deep breath, and wrenched the bars apart as hard as I could.

The noise of it was like a dying car, a groaning, unsettling noise. I heard the startled growls of the vampires around me, and I turned just in time to see one dash at me. I kicked myself for not bringing a stake, but I punched it solidly in the face. The vampire stumbled back, tripping over a rock and landing on one of his buddies. I congratulated myself, and then pulled at the bars with all my might. They began to slowly give way, protesting against my strength…

_Wham!_ I felt something hit my back, and I heard Nudge shriek, _"Max!"_ Snarling, I whirled around and elbowed the vampire as hard as I could in the face, feeling pleasure at it scream in pain. I looked around, and then pulled one of the bars off of the cage, and then I swung it, hitting the vampire in the face. He collapsed.

Luckily, the bars were bent enough for the flock to climb through, and the bar I had pulled off assisted in that. Angel, Iggy, Nudge, and Gazzy all climbed out, Total wrapped delicately in Angel's arms. I swung the bar at another vampire, hitting it in the trachea. It made a funny _whelp_ sound, and then fell to its knees, coughing. I turned to the flock, and hissed in a low voice, "Let's get out of here!" I led them out of the cavern and into the sewer system.

We raced through the tunnels, feeling the vampires at our heels. I was tempted to turn around and fight, but I knew that it would be stupid and besides, once we got outside, we could fly into the sky, whereas the vampires would burst into ashes. I just hoped that we'd reach the outer regions of the tunnels before the vampires could catch up with us.

Angel suddenly stumbled and fell, crying out. I turned and started to help her, but then two vampires advanced on me quickly, growling. I snapped my wings out, roaring at them, and launched myself at them. I kicked one of the vampires in the gut, and then punched the other in the face. I hit the first one in the stomach with the bar I held, and as he buckled, I dropped the bar and scooped up Angel, and ran after the others.

We darted out into the bright afternoon sunlight, and the vampires, sensing that we had victory on our side, fell back, swearing. I had the pleasure of viewing one unlucky vampire as he underestimated the power of sunlight, and burst into flames and withered away. The flock ran from the crypt, and I followed, making sure that none of them would chase us. We all eventually slowed to a stop, and I fell onto the grass. Then I burst into laughter. I had done it.

"Max!" yelled Nudge in excitement, and she embraced me in a tight hug, and I hugged her back, my heart overwhelmed with happiness. Angel, whom I had set down once we'd left the tunnels, fell into my arms again, as did Gazzy. Iggy hugged me, which was surprising, since he wasn't a very huggy person, but I was glad to accept the hug anyway. Total jumped into Angel's arms and licked my face, which I could have done without, but I was exultant that I had rescued him, too.

"Max… Max…" Angel said, looking up at me, her large blue eyes starting to brim with tears. "It was so awful… the leader, the guy who called himself the Master… he wanted to make us into vampires… he said we'd—"

"He said we'd be powerful assets," Gazzy said. "Since we're already really strong, so that when we became vampires, we'd be even more powerful."

"It was so scary," Nudge whispered, shaking her head. "Like, he was gonna kill us… Max, he was gonna _kill_ us, and –"

"They wouldn't have turned _me_ into a vampire," Total said matter-of-factly, ruffling his fur up. Then he added glumly, "Just an afternoon snack."

"I could hear horrible stuff," Iggy murmured. "Their laughter… the sound when they drank blood…" He shuddered.

"It's okay," I pacified, trying to calm them down. "It doesn't matter right now. We should go and get Fang, tell him that you're all okay." I felt another pang as I remembered that Fang wasn't there. I tried not to let my emotions show on my face, and for once, I was glad Iggy couldn't see.

"Why didn't he come?" Nudge asked. "I mean… he cares about us too, right? If he…" I looked down. I remembered _exactly_ why Fang hadn't come, but I didn't really want to talk about it. I cleared my throat, and then took a deep breath.

"U and A, guys," I said in a lackluster voice, spreading my wings, and then we all soared into the air like a perfectly trained squadron.

Angel, sensing my depression, was instantly worried. _Was your fight bad, Max?_ Angel asked me, her little-girl voice like a lullaby in my mind, so soothing.

I sighed. _Pretty bad._ I had shouted in his face, and I had said some stuff to him that I knew had probably hurt his feelings. _That_ I really felt guilty for, because Fang and I never fought badly enough that we were pricking at each other's emotions.

Angel nodded. She understood, despite her being only six years old.

We all flew in a perfect formation back to Buffy's house. Even though I tried to remember my mission other than rescuing the flock (saving the world, in case some of you have forgotten), I still couldn't believe that _I_ had rescued them. It seemed too good to be true. If it was a dream, I hoped that I'd never wake up.

Once we'd touched down on Buffy's lawn, I pulled my wings tightly to my back, and then I went up and scanned the area for anybody suspicious. I then turned and knocked politely on the door, hoping that Fang hadn't decided to come after me. There was no answer. I cleared my throat loudly and said, "Fang, it's Max, okay? You can open the door, you know." Still no answer. I gritted my teeth and growled, "Fang, if you don't answer this door right now I swear I'll kick your scrawny butt from here to next Tuesday." I knew that he knew that only I made threats like that. Otherwise I wouldn't be invincible Max. But there was still no answer, which began to worry me. I turned to the rest of the flock, and I said slowly, "He probably went to the library. Let's check there."

"Max?" Iggy said, his voice suddenly low. "You didn't… _tell_ anybody about us, did you?"

"Let's just say that they found out on their own," I replied distastefully, and unfurled my wings, taking off. "Come on, let's go."

—

(Fang's POV)

I knew it was crazy, but I just had a feeling that Max would be there. I was standing directly outside, and was getting definite "Max" vibes from it.

I was outside the vampire Angel's apartment.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

A/N: Kuro here again. I'd just like to say how much I'm enjoying this story right now, and how I think it's so much better than my other stories. See, with my other stories, I would just write and be done, but I find that I can create better ideas when I go back and I edit. I'm so proud of myself, but not _too_ proud. It's a sin to be prideful. Aaaanyway, I'd like to say that I feel like I might actually finish this. And then I'll need a good title. Right now, it's just 'something'. Coolness. Okay, I promise that there will be Faxness in this chapter, and I'll try to bring Buffy and the others back into the picture. Okay? Okay!

Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I really, really, really wish I did, they're both so friggin' awesome…

(Still Fang's POV)

I still didn't know why I was here.

It was preposterous that Max would even _think_ about coming here, but from the way she had been looking at Angel recently, it was definitely possible. I realized that it was still dumb, because, even if she had wanted his help, she would've had to wait until dark, otherwise the sun would burn him into a crisp.

Sighing, I turned away from the door, and started to walk away. Suddenly I heard a click as the door opened, and I stopped in my tracks.

"Fang?"

I turned around slowly, facing the vampire. "Angel."

We stared at each other for several minutes, our gazes equally cold and glaring. "Okay," Angel said, breaking the silence. "I guess you came here to ask me if Max was here."

"What makes you say that?" I quipped sharply. He shrugged.

"The fact that she's not with you kinda gives me a clue."

"Oh," I replied. I felt like an idiot. Of course Max wasn't here. "Okay then." I turned and started to leave.

"Fang, wait," Angel called. I didn't stop, just kept walking toward the stairwell. "Hey, Fang!" I kept on walking. Angel jogged over to me and positioned himself in front of me. "Fang, just hold on. Where's Max?"

"If I knew that, do you think I would be here?" I demanded, growing frustrated. "You said it yourself, so I don't know why you'd think I was messing around."

"Where do you think she would have gone?" Angel asked.

"I don't know," I admitted. "But I do know that wherever she is, she can handle herself. She's not the leader of the flock for nothing." I started to walk away, my face drawn in a tight scowl. Angel watched me, and then turned and headed back to his apartment.

—

(Max's POV)

Upon arriving in the library, Giles had fired off questions faster than I had thought possible for any human. Then again, maybe his 'Watcher' abilities included being able to speak faster than normal. I wouldn't know – I wasn't adept in Watcher/Slayer knowledge.

Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, and Angel had all made themselves known to Buffy and the others. Angel had read Giles' mind and said in an innocent voice, "We're not demons. We're just kids with wings." Of course, _then_ I had to explain about Angel's ability to read minds (not to mention _controlling_ them as well), and Nudge's power to sense emotions and other stuff through touch. Iggy had explained curtly that he was blind, and left it at that. God forbid that Gazzy let loose his 'ability', otherwise we'd be kicked out of the library for good.

"So where did Fang go?" Nudge asked, looking at all of the books on demons and such that Willow and Giles were organizing.

"Um." I suddenly remembered the fight that Fang and I had. It seemed like a distant memory, almost as if I had dreamed it. But I very clearly remembered the look of hurt and pain on his face, the look that had driven me out in the first place. "We, uh… he probably just went off and tried to locate Angel's house. The other Angel. The vampire one."

"Oh, that's right," Buffy said, sighing. "I forgot that you guys don't know where it is."

"We could probably locate it ourselves," the Gasman suggested. "Since we all have that inner compass thing." He looked at me, and I gave him a smile. "It's like an internal GPS."

I nodded. "But he should be back any time, I'm sure of it."

Just then the door opened, and Fang burst in. I cocked an eyebrow. "Speak of the devil."

"Fang!" Angel and Nudge raced over and tackled Fang in an enormous bear hug. Iggy and Gazzy slapped high fives with him, and Total jumped into his arms and licked his face. I bit my cheek to keep from snickering at the look on his face.

Buffy looked at all of us. "This is a great reunion, but I think we're attracting enough attention to lure the whole city of Sunnydale to the library. Do you mind toning it down a bit?" We all ignored her.

I glanced at Fang. He came over and sat in a chair beside me, avoiding my gaze. "So, where'd you go?" I asked calmly, keeping my voice even.

"Around," he replied briskly. I wanted to smack him.

Giles was skimming through an old book, one that looked like it had coffee stains (I _think_ it was coffee stains; for all I know it could have been some kind of demon blood) on it when he suddenly grew rigid. "Buffy," he said, and beckoned for her to come over. She did, and he pointed to a passage in the book. She read it, and then her eyes narrowed.

"What's that mean?"

"What are you guys talking about?" I demanded, going over to them. Giles looked at me, his expression thoughtful and slightly worried.

"I didn't realize that the Codex also contained prophecies about things in the Slayer's _time,_ not just her life," he started. He stood up, and walked over to the window, looking out. "But… it says here that on the night after the first new moon of the second autumn month, after twilight –"

"Just get to the point!" I yelled, and he looked speechless for a moment.

"W-well," he stammered, having lost his cool. "Basically, on that night, there's going to be another chance for the Master to open the Hellmouth. I never expected it to be this soon, though…"

"We'll be ready, whenever it is," Buffy said confidently.

"It's in three days."

Everything got deadly silent. I think that if someone had dropped a pin, we all would've jumped twelve feet into the air. "Okay, news flash," I said slowly, "this whole opening the Hellmouth thing… what does he gain from it?"

"World domination," Buffy said. I pondered this, and then shrugged.

"I guess he'd gain that."

"Not to mention the fact that he also would be able to roam free on ground level," Buffy said. "Right now he's trapped underground." She looked at me. "You and I have work to do, Max. Are you in?"

I thought. The Voice had told me that I could save the world by destroying the vampires. I had rescued my flock, so that was off my list. _Destroying the Hellmouth, stopping the Master… that would save the world, right? Or would it just be saving one single town?_

"I'm in," I said, just as Fang said, "No."

"What?" Buffy, Giles, and I all turned to stare at Fang, who was giving me a steady look.

"We have to go, Max," he said, his voice thick with… regret? Anger?

"Go where?" I asked him. "This is our chance. This is _my_ chance. I can do this, Fang. Don't underestimate me."

"I'm not," he replied brusquely. "I'm just saying that we don't have to stick around here waiting for the end of the world." Seeing the looks on Buffy's and my faces, he sighed. "Max, I'm just… saying that we should take a break. At least until this Hellmouth actually opens, after the three days. We should rest up, get some food –"

"Speaking of food," Iggy piped up. "Do you guys have anything to eat around here? I'm starved."

"I'm not usually a complainer, but I wouldn't mind some decent chow either," Total remarked. Once everyone had gotten over the shock of hearing a dog talk, Giles led the flock to the cafeteria. Buffy stood guard outside the library, leaving Fang and I alone.

"Fang, what has gotten into you?" I asked, feeling like we were complete strangers. "Have you lost it? You don't seem like yourself."

"Max, I'm…" He struggled for words. "I'm just… saying that you should take a break… not a long one, just long enough for you to… recuperate."

"I'm fine resting up at Buffy's house, thank you very much," I said, a bit colder than I'd intended. "What's this really about, Fang? It can't be just trying to save the world, since you were okay with that a long time ago."

"Maybe it's just because you've put _complete trust_ in a _vampire,"_ he spat, and then looked embarrassed. I picked up on what he was talking about.

"Oh, so you're mad just because I'm friends with a vampire," I said. "Good. I thought it was something serious."

"Max," he began, fury edged in his tone, but then sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I've been out of it, and I'm not feeling all too great right now." He took a step closer to me. I backed away, unsure of what to expect. "Am I forgiven?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Sure," I replied, and then gave him a quick hug. "Just so long as you don't start acting like a jealous boyfriend about me and Angel, okay?" His gaze flickered, but he didn't say anything.

Giles came back in, tailed by the flock, who were carrying about ten trays (each) of food. Buffy came in, followed by Willow and Xander, all of them looking resolute. "Are you ready?" Buffy asked me.

"Once I finish this food, I will be." I inhaled. The scent wasn't all too great, but I still loved it. Besides, I've eaten roast desert rat, so this wasn't half as bad.

After several minutes of gorging myself full of disgusting cafeteria food, I turned to Buffy and Giles, putting on my game face. "Now I'm ready."


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

A/N: Whew! Another chapter done! I'm gladly trying to finish this fanfic up, though I may throw in a few surprises to make the end a little more exciting. I will say this: something very… _interesting_ will happen in this chapter. snickers Oh! And I want to apologize for no FAX in the last chapter. I decided to make it a fight instead. I realize that Fang and Max are a little out of character than they are in the books, but I'm trying. sigh Okay, so here we go with Chapter Nine, and it will definitely have Angel (BTVS one) in it! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 'kay? 'Kay! grins cheesily

After an excruciatingly long period of mere reading and studying, I was ready to implode. I was dying from the boredom, and even though this prophecy thing was extremely important, I didn't see why we had to waste time just _reading_ about it. I was expecting instant weapon training, but _nooo,_ we had to 'refer to the books', as Giles put it.

I sighed, closing another book of worthless information that my head could barely comprehend, and stood up, stretching my sore muscles. It was almost sundown. "I think I'll take a break," I commented, and then headed toward the door. "Just a little exercise." I noticed that the flock got up to follow me, and I turned to Angel, trying to send her a thought. _I'd rather be alone._ She nodded, and then looked thoughtful for a moment. Suddenly, the rest of the flock all sat down, confused expressions on their faces. For once I was grateful for Angel's ability to control people's minds.

As I headed out of the building, I thought about Fang. He and I had made up after we'd eaten and taken our first break, but I still felt a little insecure around him. Had the vampires poisoned his mind somehow? Or was he acting like this on his own accord? Not wanting to think about it, I unfurled my wings and ran, leaping into the air.

God, flying was just so… amazing. I smiled as I felt the breeze lift me up, carrying me higher and higher. There was literally no better feeling that being this high in the air, being this free… There's a reason people always dream about flying.

I angled my wings in an easy downward curve, heading toward the building called the Bronze. Buffy and Giles had told me about it – it was a nightclub place, an area where vampires liked to feed. I shuddered just thinking about it. Vampires… brr.

As I landed, I was vaguely aware that someone was watching me. I slowly turned around, but saw no one. I closed my eyes, sensing, trying to see where… I whirled and socked the figure at my left, hearing it go down with a loud 'oof'. I tensed, ready to hit it again when I recognized the figure.

"Angel?"

"Next time I'll remember never to sneak up on you," he groaned, and got to his feet. I felt embarrassed that I had attacked him like that, and I put my hands in my pockets, blushing slightly, trying to regain my composure.

"What are you doing here?"

He looked at me evenly. "I live nearby. I was just out walking." I had a feeling that he was doing more than that, but I decided to let it slide. "I saw you flying." He grinned the smallest bit. "It must be… exhilarating."

"Yeah, exhilarating is definitely the word to describe it," I said. We both laughed, the sound strange in my ears. I cleared my throat. "Well… I guess you're probably just out for… um… a midnight snack?"

He let out a laugh, which startled me – I thought that he would've taken offense to that. "No, I'm not," he said. "I just like to take walks."

We were both silent again for a while. Finally, I began, "I, um… about the other night… I didn't mean –"

"You don't need to say anything," he said morosely, the smile suddenly fading from his face. I looked into his dark eyes, feeling sympathetic toward him. "It was my fault… I shouldn't have…" Angel's face was contorted with a look of shame and unhappiness. I shook my head.

"That's okay. The important thing is that you knew what was right and that you didn't hurt anyone." I felt like I was reciting a line from a play – those kind of words don't usually come to me naturally. "I just… I don't know why, but…"

"Are you afraid of me?" he asked, and I remembered that he'd asked me that before, when we were in the tunnel. It had been before I'd seen his demonic side, before I'd seen his vampire face. He wanted to see what I thought of him now, now that I'd seen his true self.

I tentatively walked toward him, stopping when I was right in front of him. "I've faced scarier things than vampires," I said, tilting my head a little. "You're not one of them, thankfully."

His eyes narrowed, and then he relaxed a bit. "That's… your way of saying that you're not afraid of me, right? Or is there another meaning behind it?"

I thought for a moment. "No, I think that it was my way of saying I'm not afraid of you." I smiled, and then pulled away, suddenly embarrassed. "This is… wrong. I can't do this. You and Buffy…"

"I can't be with her," he said, his expression suddenly depressed. "She's the Slayer. I'm a vampire. I can't just… it's not right. I have nothing for her to love." He spread his arms out and dropped them. "She deserves a life… without me. Sooner or later, she'd…" He shook his head. "I just can't."

I looked at the ground, suddenly miserable. "So… then you wouldn't… you couldn't…"

"What about you and Fang?" he inquired suddenly, looking slightly suspicious. "I thought you two –"

"Fang's my best friend," I replied, drawing myself up a little straighter. "I would throw myself in front of a train to save his life, but…" Sighing unhappily, I made a face. "I'm… just not sure that we should… do anything, what with the flock and…" I looked into Angel's features, feeling weighed down. "But… you and I…"

"Max," Angel took a step toward me and took my hands. "I like you, I really do. But… you're fourteen. I'm two hundred forty-one. It wouldn't work."

I sighed. "I'm probably ancient by now, judging by the way I've handled some situations."

Angel sighed, echoing me. "You're very mature for your age."

We were both quiet again. I wanted him to speak first – partly because I hated the silence, and partly because I wanted to hear his voice again. Finally, in an uneasy tone of voice, Angel asked hesitantly, "Would you… like to come over to my place for a while? Just to get your bearings together." I looked into his face. His perfect, soft-looking, angelic face.

"I'd love to."

—

(3rd person – Angel)

"I didn't really expect you to live in a place like this," Max said as she entered his apartment. Angel felt a sense of peace, though he still felt tormented by the lonesomeness of his soul. Max was great, but Buffy… they were almost like sisters. Like Max was the reincarnation of Buffy when she had died last spring. He felt a pang in his chest. He didn't know why… he could describe the way he felt. He hadn't been able to ever since Max had arrived.

"I try to be inconspicuous," he said with a shrug. "I don't sleep in a coffin, in case you're wondering."

"I did wonder," Max said, her dark brown eyes curious but cautious. She was guarded.

Angel went into the small kitchen, and, knowing that he didn't have anything for her to eat, said softly, "So, um… how's Fang? He came here earlier, and said he was looking for you."

"Fang was looking for me?" Max asked, her eyes wondering.

Clearing his throat, Angel replied, "He was pretty snippy about it, too. I think it might have had something to do with my being a vampire." He looked at Max, searching for her reaction. She didn't let it show.

"I see. Well, Fang's… he can be a bit difficult sometimes," she said, frowning. "I think he might be bipolar. Or he has a multiple-personality disorder."

"Uh-huh." Angel struggled for words. He headed back into the living room where Max was sitting on the sofa, looking a bit uncomfortable. He sat down next to her, feeling the warmth of her body heat. It was like a comforting blanket, enveloping him. He closed his eyes, basking in her warmth. She moved a little closer to him, and he suddenly felt her hand on his. He wanted to pull away, yet he didn't want to pull away… _I love Buffy, _he tried to tell himself, but suddenly he wasn't so sure.

There was a long pause, and it seemed that time itself had stopped. "Um," Max said finally, "I should… probably go. It's late, and…" She stood up, but didn't move otherwise.

Angel looked at her, not wanting her to leave, but knowing that she shouldn't stay. "Do… I mean, well… can't you just…?" He gave her a helpless look. Max smiled at him, making his world brighter.

"I'll stay if… if that's what you want."

"That's what I want," he breathed. He wanted her here with him, wanted her to stay where he could see her lovely face. She was taller than Buffy, but just as tough. She had strength, power, speed… everything that Buffy was, if not more. She did have one extra thing: wings. Angel thought that they were one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen – they made _her _look like an angel. She was prettier (dare he say it?) than Buffy herself. And she wasn't a Slayer, so he didn't have to worry about that. He didn't have to worry about anything.

But in his still, dead heart, he knew that that wasn't true.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

A/N: Yippee! Okay, so I'm going to finish this chapter, and then go take a shower and finish getting ready for school. I'm _sooo_ glad that high school has late start Mondays. I'm doing pretty well with this fanfic, if I do say so myself. And I want to clear something up: right now, Max _thinks_ she's fourteen, but in reality, she's around sixteen or seventeen, at least in this fic. I noticed because she's getting the hots for Angel, whereas he not only 241, he looks like he's at least twenty-five or so. But remember, he loves Buffy in the series, and she's only sixteen, too, 'kay? I just wanted to fix that little bit. Okay, so this chapter will have Fang, Angel, Buffy, and Max angst in it, so I'm just letting you know about it beforehand. Something good's coming, too, so just wait… heh heh heh… JK

Disclaimer: holds up a sign that reads 'I don't own Maximum Ride or Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

Kuro: I'm getting tired of saying it. goes back to work

(Fang's POV)

"Where's Max?" I finally blurted out, after a couple of hours of being bored out of my mind. Angel had told us that Max was out for a brief flight, and would be back in a while. But now I was starting to get a little paranoid, because it was dark outside, and Max would've come back by now.

"I told you, Fang," Angel replied, shuffling some cards. She, Nudge and the Gasman were all playing card games, having given up on reading. "She's just out for a little break."

"It's an awfully _long_ break," Buffy muttered, also noticing how Max had been gone for an unusually long time. "I'm starting to feel a little wigged. Call me a worrywart, but maybe she ran into some trouble. It _is_ nighttime, after all."

Giles came into the library, holding a book and a cup of coffee. "You should probably go and look for her, Buffy."

"I'll go." Everyone looked at me, and then, shifting nervously, I added, "Buffy can come with me. She can cover ground while I search the air." It was a kind of dumb plan, but it was all that we had.

"Okay then," Buffy said, getting up with a shrug. "Let's go."

—

(Max's POV)

Angel walked in from the kitchen, holding a cup of water. "Here," he said, handing it to me. "Drink this."

I accepted it, partly because I was thirsty, and partly because I wanted to.

"Thank you."

"So…" He cleared his throat, and sat down next to me. Without even thinking about it, I scooted closer to him. He didn't mind. "You've already heard about me. Let's talk about you. Do have any family?"

"Besides the flock?" I asked. "They're not… related to me by blood, but they're all still totally my family. Um, my mom lives in Arizona, and my half-sister, Ella. I just recently found out about them." I felt a bit suspicious as I said all of this, but I shrugged away the feeling.

"But you don't live with them?" He looked curious, but the question he was thinking didn't come out verbally.

I sighed, and then chuckled darkly. "You're going to laugh when I tell you this," I said, taking a deep breath. "But… I've been told that my mission is… well, uh…"

"Go on," Angel said, smiling, his dark eyes sparkling.

"Well… basically, I have to save the world." I frowned. "You may now burst into wild laughter." He didn't. "Why aren't you laughing?"

Angel tilted his head at me. "Well, it makes sense. You're stronger than normal people, and so you'd be able to do things that regular humans couldn't. You're a little like a Slayer, in a way."

At the mention of the word 'Slayer', our moods both dampened considerably. "Listen, I… this has been really great and all, but… I should…"

"Go back," he finished. We both stood up, facing each other. Angel was tall, taller than Fang, but not nearly as hard looking. He seemed… softer, somehow. Despite knowing that he was a vampire, he seemed sweet, almost. And when he smiled… it was nothing like when Fang smiled. Instead, it was as though he were telling me that everything was fine, that I mattered. Which I did. I _did_ matter.

"Max?" he whispered, looking a bit thrown.

"Yeah?" I whispered back.

We took slight half steps toward each other until we were right up next to each other. I reached up and gently stroked his face. Angel's breath quickened, and he twitched the slightest bit, as though he weren't expecting me to do something like that. His skin was cool to the touch, but not ice-cold, as I had expected a vampire's skin to be. "I'm not afraid," I whispered in a barely audible voice.

Angel brought his arms around my waist, looking deeply into my eyes. I felt breathless. He cradled my chin with his hand, lifting my face up to his, and gently kissed me.

It was nothing like when Fang kissed me. When Fang had kissed me, I had felt panicked, like my world was falling apart. It made me so miserable and confused, I hadn't known what to do. Truth be told, I felt much more comfortable with him as a friend, since every other time I'd seen him, he'd thrown himself at any girl in sight. But with Angel… it was completely different.

Angel's mouth was softer, gentler… and better yet, he understood. He was the only other person besides the flock and I who knew what it felt like to be trapped. He was a vampire, but was a good vampire, a vampire that didn't want to drink human blood. It made me feel… comforted. I didn't panic. I just went with the flow.

Angel tilted his head so that he could kiss me more deeply. His arms wrapped around me, embracing me gently but securely. My wings didn't even cross my mind. I put my hands around his shoulders, and kissed him back.

Suddenly we broke apart, panting a little. I paused, my hands resting gently on his arms. His own hands were holding my shoulders with a loose grip. "Um," I said, feeling fairly silly. "Wow."

"Yeah." Angel's eyes were full of an emotion that I couldn't name. It was probably the one that I was feeling right now, the one that was making my head spin.

"Should I…?"

"Don't go," he whispered, reaching over and brushing my hair off of my neck. I felt myself shiver, though it wasn't from cold or fear. I looked into Angel's face. He was so trusting, so gentle… it was so unlike Fang. I loved it. I loved him.

I had lost my mind.

—

(A/N: I know the Max/Angel pairing is kinda weird, but just bear with me on this, 'kay?)

(Back at the library – 3rd person)

Giles sipped at his cup of coffee, deep in thought. Or, at least he was _trying_ to be deep in thought.

"Would all of you _mind_ being quiet for just _ten_ minutes?!" he finally exploded, leaping to his feet. The rest of Max's 'flock', as she called them, were all playing an invigorating game of hide and seek, although whenever Angel was 'it', she used her mind reading abilities in order to locate where the others were, resulting in much shouting and arguing.

"Okay, guys," Iggy said, standing up stiffly from his hiding place. Giles still thought that it was incredible that Iggy was able to move around as easily as he did, what with being _blind_ and everything. Then again, maybe it was one of the strange abilities that Max had mentioned that they possessed. "Let's be quiet so that Giles here can do some research." He walked up the stairs to where the card catalogue was, Total trotting behind him (Giles was still amazed that Total could actually _talk_).

Angel stood up as well, starting to head over to where Nudge and the Gasman were when she suddenly froze in her tracks, a shocked and confused look on her face. "Something's coming," she whispered, her gorgeous blue eyes wide with fear.

And then the explosion happened.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

A/N: Okay, everybody! I will try to focus more on what's happening with Fang and Buffy, as well as include what happened at the library, but the Max/Angel part is so good that I might forget. smacks self Alrighty, this chapter (I know I say it so much that it gets old, but oh well) will definitely contain some surprises, including one with Angel and Max. Nobody will be expecting it, so it will definitely be good. Okay, I have to leave for school now, but I'll be back, I promise.

Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Trust me, if I did, I would be gloating about it days on end. But I don't, so I don't. frowns I don't know if that made sense or not. Argh! Whatever! Just read!

(Fang's POV)

"Argh! Damn it! I was _sure_ that she'd be here!" Buffy said, looking around the empty club, at all the overturned chairs and broken glasses. A roach scuttled by every now and then. We were at the Bronze, where Buffy was certain that Max would turn up. _Max? In a place like this? Please._

Buffy opened her arms wide and then dropped them again. "So… if she's not here, where else would she be?"

I tried to think of where else Max would go, but I realized that she could be anywhere. She had a hyper speed mode, and that could send her practically to the moon if she wanted to. I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate, but I heard a strange buzzing in my ears that drowned out my thoughts. I think it was because of the exhaustion and impatience, but I was too frustrated to care.

"We'll keep looking. She can't have gotten far," Buffy said. _Oh, yes she could have._

Suddenly, I was struck with a realization. It was night. If she hadn't been there before, she'd obviously be there now. And we'd even had a fight about it, so it was probably on her mind – Max was the type to hold grudges ten years after she first made them.

"Angel," I said, and Buffy looked at me with a stunned expression on her face.

—

(Back at the library)

"Vampires!" shrieked Nudge as the bloodsucking leeches crawled in through the broken windows. Hissing, one of them launched itself at her, but she whirled and performed a perfect roundhouse kick, Max style!

_Wham! _He went flying and smashed into two of his buddies, knocking them down like bowling pins. "Strike!" Nudge exclaimed, and then turned to begin whaling on another vampire.

Iggy had mysteriously planted a bomb on five different vampires in less than four seconds. In about ten more seconds, there were several explosions as the vampires all burst apart, their guts and blood flying everywhere. "All right!" Iggy crowed, pumping a fist into the air.

"Gross!" Nudge yelped. "Oh, Iggy! Gross, gross, gross!"

The Gasman was holding out well on his own, until one of the vampires began to twist his arm around his back. Gazzy wailed in pain, and then Nudge raced over, colliding into the vampire's side, knocking him down. Even Total joined in the fight, racing around and biting at the vampires' ankles. "See how you like it!" he growled, sounding like a Rottweiler.

As if sensing defeat, the vampires all withdrew, vanishing just as quickly as they had come. Iggy slapped a high five with the Gasman, both of them cheering on how great the explosion had been. Nudge brushed icky bits of vampire parts off of her, shaking her head.

Total wandered around, his little black nose sniffing the air. Giles got up from his hiding place behind the desk. "You're all amazing in action," he said, breathing hard. "I wasn't prepared at all."

"We're always prepared," Iggy said proudly. "We're like… Max soldiers." He saluted, and then he and Gazzy cracked up. Total continued looking around, sniffing, and then finally asked in a loud, worried voice:

"Where's Angel?"

—

(Max's POV)

We were (oh God, I was going to murder myself, unless Fang got to it first) lying in Angel's bed. Believe it or not, but after the mere kissage than had gone on in the living room, we had somehow ended up migrating to Angel's bed. There we had stayed, until it got a little… lascivious. I still couldn't believe that it had actually happened myself. We were dressed now, and were just lying on top of the blankets (for those of you who need it spelled out, we had M-A-D-E L-O-V-E), but I still was in denial. Oh God, Fang was going to kill me…

"You're not mad, are you?" Angel asked in a husky voice. One of his hands reached over and gently tapped mine; his hands were like his face, cool but not icy. I wasn't sure how to answer – I was freaking _fourteen,_ for heaven's sake; still only a kid.

_You're not a kid anymore, Max,_ the Voice interrupted. I sighed. Of _course_ the Voice would find this moment, the most embarrassing moment of my life, as the perfect time to communicate with me. _I think you just proved that._

_Shut up, Voice. I don't need your criticizing._

The Voice was silent for a moment. _I wonder what Fang will think?_ it asked in an acerbic voice. I jerked the slightest bit.

"Max?" Angel looked over at me. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "I'm fine. And no, I'm not mad. It was… um… interesting." Jeez. I wondered if I could still report him for rape or something.

(Flashback – Before Max and Angel got to the bed)

Angel leaned back over her, kissing her gently. Max accepted each one of the kisses, although he could tell from her scent that she was still nervous, anxious…

He himself felt a bit hesitant, worried that if he let himself relax, he would lose it and vamp out. More than anything at that moment, Angel didn't want Max to be frightened of him. He wanted her to accept him, to be comfortable with him…

To love him.

"Angel?" Max gently pulled herself away from his mouth, looking a bit breathless and puzzled. "Angel, I… are you sure… I mean, well…" She struggled for words, biting her lip slightly. "What I'm trying to say is… um, this, uh –"

"Isn't what you expected?" Angel suggested, though he wasn't sure of what she was trying to say, either.

"No! Well, no, it isn't what I expected, that's for sure," Max said, chuckling nervously. "But um, what I meant was that… if we're… if we keep kissing like this, then we'll… eventually end up doing something we both might regret… or something."

Angel knew what she was talking about. Years before, on Buffy's seventeenth birthday, he and Buffy had made love after they had both realized that they were in love with each other. The result was disastrous – he had lost his soul, the soul that he had been cursed with after killing the gypsy girl. Angel had instantly reverted to Angelus, his former vampire self, and had killed as relentlessly as he had in the 1800's. His soul had been returned to him later on, but it had been too late – the demon Acathla had already been summoned, and Buffy had had to kill Angel in order to save the world. He was somehow brought back from the hell dimension he had been sent to, and had then realized that he could never give Buffy the life she would want. As a result, he had left Sunnydale, and had gone to live in LA. Now he was back, sent by the Powers that Be, which had told him about a new evil in Sunnydale. He hadn't found that evil. But he had found Max.

"I can't…" he started, not realizing that he was speaking aloud.

"What?" Max asked, confused.

"Never mind."

"Angel, I…" Max took a deep breath, and then leaned her head against his chest. If his heart could beat, Angel thought, he was sure that it would be racing right now. "I… I'm not sure how to say this, but…" She looked at him, and he could see tears in her eyes. Suddenly, she put her face into his shoulder, and wept.

Angel drew his arms around Max, shushing her soothingly. "Max, it's okay… calm down…"

"It's not okay," Max whimpered. "I'm… I love you. It's a complete disaster."

_I love you._ Those words made Angel's eyes widen, made his breath quicken the slightest bit. He carefully embraced her, kissing her hair, inhaling her scent. She smelled sweet… sweeter than Buffy. "I love you, too," he whispered huskily, and she wrapped her arms around him, taking several deep breaths.

Angel moved her head away from his torso, and cradled her chin with his hand. She looked into his eyes, which were dark and shadowy, like his personality. He lifted her face to his, and they kissed again.

(Present: Angel's apartment in Max's POV)

I fiddled with the hem of my shirt. We were in a slightly awkward situation, 'slightly awkward' being so confusing that I wanted to scream and bury my face into the ground and hopefully die within seconds. Angel seemed embarrassed as well, because he had cleared his throat like he was about to say something about fifty times.

Finally, he spoke up. "Max, I'm sorry if… if that's not what you wanted. I'm really, truly sorry."

"That's okay." I replied with difficulty.

"It was a bad idea," he said suddenly, his body tensing, as though anticipating danger. "I'm…" he sighed. "Max, I think it would be best… if we just never talked about this again."

"That's fine by me," I answered. There was an awkward pause.

"I… I was…" Angel whispered, his voice almost a moan. "I was… _happy…_ oh God…" He put his hands over his face, shaking his head. "This is bad… this is bad…" Suddenly, Angel let out a cry and doubled over, gasping, clenching his fists in pain.

"Angel?" I asked, instantly alarmed. "What's wrong?" He shook his head, panting, and then as I tried to reach toward him, he shoved my hand away. He staggered out of the bed, stumbling over into the living room, where he collapsed on the floor, trembling and moaning in pain. I raced over to him, placing one hand on his shoulder. "Angel? Can you hear me? Angel!" He leaned on me, breathing heavily.

I was panicking. What was wrong with him? Was it some kind of weird sickness or something? A momentary rush of fear made me feel dizzy with terror – had I done something to him? – when he buried his face into my shoulder. "Max," he whispered in an undermined, pathetic voice.

"Shh, it's okay," I whispered, stroking his hair. "It's okay. What's the matter? Are you hurt?"

Angel wrapped his arms around me. "I'm fine… everything's fine as long as you're here." His voice sounded a bit strange, slightly high-pitched, and I felt another wave of panic. "Max… I'm eternally grateful to you."

"What for?" I whispered, a bad feeling spreading in my stomach. Just then I felt a sudden, intense pain erupt in my neck, like a hot piece of metal was jabbed into my skin. Reflexively, I shoved my elbows deeply and forcefully into Angel's chest, shoving him away from me. I put a hand to my neck, and when I pulled away, I found several bright red drops of blood. I looked at Angel, and my eyes widened. He had his vampire face exposed, and was leaning on his heels, sliding his tongue over his lips, fresh blood on his fangs. It was then that I realized he had _bitten _me. "Angel – what the hell…?" I demanded, jumping to my feet. I stared at him, ready to kick his butt if I needed to. "What's gotten into you?"

Angel drew up to his full height, a sudden different look to him. I frowned. What happened to him? I was just wondering this when he grinned unexpectedly, though it was in an evil, menacing way. "Angel…?" I started.

"Name's Angelus."


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER TWELVE

A/N: Mwahahahahaha!! I _told_ you guys that you wouldn't expect it! Max and Angel basically had sex, which caused him to lose his soul. This is kind of like what would happen in "Surprise" and "Innocence", but I decided to write my own version of it. I apologize to everyone who thinks I'm weird and disgusting for pairing a fourteen-year-old girl with a 241-year-old vampire, but it's something that can't be helped. At least I didn't include that actual _incident,_ okay?! So quit complaining! I think I'm doing pretty dang good myself! Okay, sorry. Just a random burst of violence. Anyway, we're going to take the story back with everyone else, to make up for keeping it with Max and Angel for the last ten chapters (exaggeration, pals). Read on!

Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, mmkay? Are we good? Good!

(Still Max's POV)

I stared in shock at Angel's face, which was still in its vampire mode. "Who?"

He turned to the sofa, and then picked up my jacket, bringing it up to his face. He buried his head in it and inhaled deeply. "Your scent is so great," he said with feeling. Then he hurled the jacket onto the floor, so forcefully that it tore in two when it hit the coffee table. I jerked back, starting to get a little freaked out. "I'm going to miss that when I kill you."

I backed up until I was pressed against the wall. He slowly advanced on me, and my instinct was kicking in: the fight or flight response. Since there was no room for me to escape to the safety of the sky, there was only one other option.

"What's the matter?" Angel asked, smirking at me. "You're not _scared,_ are you?"

"Not of you," I snapped, feeling my muscles tense. This was the Max I liked: bad attitude, tough, and pretty as heck. Sentimental Max? Not so much.

"What a shame," Angel said mockingly, tsking. "You smell so much better when you're terrorized. Tell you what!" He took a step toward me, his yellow eyes hungry and taunting. "I'll torture you for a couple of excruciatingly _long_ hours, and you can tell me if you're scared of me then."

"As I said," I repeated, "I'm not scared of _you_. I'm more afraid of the way you're going to look in the morning after I beat the crap out of you."

"You're all talk," Angel scoffed, narrowing his eyes at me.

"Let's experiment." I flung myself at him and socked him as hard as I could in the face, knocking him across the room. I had put every ounce of strength I had into that punch, and I had to say, it was pretty good. "What's the matter? Scared?" I called out mockingly as he pulled himself out of an Angel-sized hole in the wall. He dusted himself off, and then grinned wickedly at me.

"Well, well. _Now_ things are starting to get interesting!" he crowed. I charged at him again, but he anticipated it and delivered a backhand punch to my gut, causing me to keel over. I used the momentum I had to do a somersault and kick him fiercely in the groin. He fell over, letting out a yelp of pain. I struggled to my feet and leaped for the door, and turned back to him, watching him cower there in agony.

"What's happened to you, Angel?"

"I told you already," he ground out, giving me a seething look. "I'm _Angelus._ Angel is gone. Forget about him. He's a loser."

"Hmm. A loser, huh? So he's like you, only with intelligence?"

Snarling, Angelus dove at me, but I reached into my sleeve as quickly as I could and managed to find the cross that Buffy had given me. I smashed it into his face, earning myself to joy of hearing him shriek in pain. Today was just not his day. Before he could regain footing, I jumped over him, and raced out into the night. Not even checking to see if anyone was looking, I threw myself into the sky and unfurled my wings as hard and as fast as I could. Once I had gone up a few dozen feet or so, I could see Angelus down below, looking up at me, a livid expression on his face.

—

(Fang's POV)

I was definitely beginning to lose it. Max had been gone for hours, and had spent those hours at Angel's apartment. Despite the fact that Buffy had told us, about his being a good vampire, I knew that if Max was spending that much time at a _vampire's_ house, it couldn't be good.

Buffy and I charged to Angel's apartment, locating it only a few minutes after we'd realized where Max was. I kicked the door down, and raced in, calling out Max's name. "Max! Max, where are you?" I yelled, searching but finding nothing. I sighed, and then leaned against the counter in the kitchen wearily, rubbing my eyes. "She's not here."

"Fang?" Buffy beckoned for me to come. I went over into the living room, where she was, and found her holding two pieces of clothing, torn down in the center. "Isn't this…?"

"Max's jacket," I finished, and felt sick to my stomach. Whatever Angel had done, it couldn't have been good. "We have to find her."

"I don't think she would have left on her own," Buffy said, pondering. "Because Angel's not here either –"

"I couldn't have said it better myself."

We both whirled around to face Angel, who was standing in the doorway behind us, an ugly smirk on his "perfect" face.

"Angel!" I snarled, feeling a rage like no other nearly take me over, worse than the anger I had felt toward Ari, which was saying a lot. "Where's Max? What did you do with her?"

"Max and I got a little tired of talking to each other, so we decided to revert to violence," Angel said calmly. He touched a small, pinkish burn mark on his cheek, a burn in the shape of a cross. So he and Max had fought.

"Why did you guys attack each other?" Buffy demanded. "Did she not want you touching her or something?"

"Actually," Angel said, laughing, "You could say that she _liked_ the touching part." He shrugged and then turned to me. "I don't know why you fight with her, Fang… she's a pretty girl. She's not someone I'd want to lose." He batted his eyelashes mockingly.

I bristled. "Just tell me where she is, you son of a –"

"What's wrong with you, Angel?" Buffy demanded, pulling out a stake that she had hidden in her jacket sleeve.

"I don't know why _you_ don't know, Buff," Angel sighed, and then vamped out, his eyes yellowing, fangs sprouting. "After all, you're the one who figured it out in the first place."

Buffy's eyes narrowed, and then a stunned realization dawned on her face. "You lost your soul," she whispered, looking a bit weak.

"Yep," Angel said, and then grinned, his fangs making him look like a… well, like a vampire. "And I just have one thing to say about it." He turned to me, and gave me a smug look. "You can thank Max later." He let out a growl and then leaped at me. I anticipated the move, and then spun and kicked him in the chest, knocking him down to the ground. Before he could regain his footing, I punched him solidly in the face, knocking him out cold.

Buffy grabbed my arm, yanking me away from pulverizing Angel. "Let it go, Fang!" she yelled, struggling to hold me back. "There isn't anything we can do."

"You can let me kick his ass!" I snarled viciously, ready to kill Angel. He had hurt Max, and I wasn't going to let him get away with it.

"Listen to me!" Buffy dragged me away from the unconscious Angel. "He isn't Angel right now. He's Angelus – he lost his soul, so now he's like all the rest of the vampires, only he makes killing a game, or poetry."

"What a sick –"

"We can get Willow to reverse the curse, Fang, but you have to keep him alive, all right?"

"Why should I?" I snapped, jerking away from her. "I don't understand why you didn't kill him when you first found out that he was vampire anyway!"

Buffy seized a hold of my shirt and lifted me up, slamming me into the wall. Jeez. And I had thought Max was a problem. "I love Angel," she said in a soft, dangerous voice. "And if you kill him, then I'll kill you, you got that?" She dropped me, and then spun away, heading back into the apartment. I frowned, thinking for a brief moment, and then followed her back in.

—

(Max's POV)

I angled my wings downward, heading to the library, from which I could hear several crashes and screams. I instantly powered myself into a dive, streaking downward so fast that I was certain I'd hit the ground and knock myself out. Luckily, I landed just in the nick of time, and then raced into the library to find what looked like a scene out of a movie.

Total was lying on the floor, wailing and howling. Iggy was leaning against the table, his eyes focused straight ahead, unseeing. Nudge was crying in the corner, having nobody to comfort her. Angel was… gone. I felt a rush of dread.

"What happened?"

"Max!" Nudge raced over to me and threw her skinny arms around my neck. "Oh Max… Max… it was horrible… the vampires, they all came in out of nowhere… we fought them, but… oh, Max!" She sobbed into my shirt. I looked over at Gazzy, who looked helpless, though he wasn't crying.

"They took Angel?" I asked, and they all nodded. "Why would they take just her?"

The Gasman's arms tightened around his chest. "Maybe it was because she couldn't fight them off as easily as we could, because she was so much smaller than us…"

"Maybe because she has mind-reading powers or something," Iggy muttered. Something clicked in my brain.

"Perhaps it's because she has more powers than the rest of us?" I suggested. Three bird kid eyes turned to look at me, and Total lifted his head from the ground and stared at me, tears soaking into his fur. "Call me crazy, but…" I paused, thinking my notion over. "Angel has a lot of different powers than the rest of us, and she also has the most… maybe that's why the Master wanted to kidnap her instead of all of us."

Iggy frowned. "But why would he capture us in the first place, then? If all he wanted was Angel –"

"He may have done that to see which one of us he wanted to really turn into a vampire!" yelped the Gasman, his eyes widening. "Of course! It makes perfect sense!" I felt like cheering – for an eight-year-old kid, Gazzy was pretty darn smart.

"But how are we going to get her back?" Total asked, his little black ears drooping. "The vampires would have probably upgraded their security, so we can't just slip in and get her back. What are we going to do?"

Good question. I searched my usually bright mind for a solution, but astonishingly, I had none. _Come on, Maximum, you can do this. You'll rescue Angel, and you'll save the world. You've just got to think… think…_

And, just like that, I had a plan. "Okay, guys," I said, waving them all in. "Here's what we're gonna do…"


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

A/N: That last chapter was pretty short, but I'm starting to get hungry, so I'll try to hurry it up a little. I understand that I have a weird mind, so don't bother telling me something I already know. Angel has now become Angelus, the other Angel's been kidnapped, Fang and Max are dealing with a complicated relationship, and they have to stop the prophecy from coming true within THREE FREAKING DAYS!! Argh, too many plotlines! Oh well. I will try to wrap this up in a few chapters, though I'm not sure if I'll be able to. I'm still dealing with the fact that I forced Max, my heroine, into such a vulnerable position that made her lose all dignity whatsoever. Jeez, I'm such a weirdo. Sorry for all those Max fans out there (and Angel fans, for that matter). Anyway, keep reading… if you dare.

Disclaimer: pushes glasses up nose and speaks in a nerdy voice I'm not the current owner of the Maximum Ride series, nor do I own Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I believe that you are confusing myself with a young fellow named James Patterson, or perhaps you're mistaking me for the other chap… awww, screw it. Just read.

(3rd person)

"He lost his soul?" Willow asked, sounding shocked. Fang didn't understand why she sounded so surprised – hadn't Buffy said that it had happened before?

"Yeah," Buffy admitted, looking down at Angel's unconscious face. "Unfortunately he did. I don't know what he did that made him happy, but it had to have been something pretty _big._"

Fang struggled to remember the events of the evening, all of what Angel had said before Buffy had knocked him out. "You can thank Max later," he had said. What was that supposed to mean? Had Max done something in order to trigger his happiness and make him lose his soul? She obviously hadn't done it on purpose. Max would never do something like that.

Of course, she had been pretty insane at the start of this whole deal, so maybe causing a vampire to lose his soul wouldn't seem like a bad idea to her anyway. _Stop it,_ he scolded himself. _You're not thinking straight. Of _course_ Max wouldn't do it on purpose. There has to be some kind of explanation._

"I don't know if I can…" Willow spoke hesitantly, staring at Angel's face. "I mean, well… I did it once, but I'm not sure…"

"Please, Will?" Buffy asked. "We need him. I need him."

Seeing the look of desperation on Buffy's face, Willow swallowed hard and nodded. "Okay. I'll do it." She went over to the bookshelf in her room and pulled out the disk that contained Mrs. Calendar's files of the Kalderash gypsy curse.

Fang, on the other hand, was pacing back and forth, trying to figure out how Angel had lost his soul. Buffy said that the curse that had been laid on him was that he would be haunted by his past, tormented by his human soul, so when he experienced true happiness while he had a soul, the curse would be broken. So he had gotten too happy… but how?

Buffy came over and stood next to Fang. "What's up?" she asked casually. Fang couldn't help but think that Buffy was a lot like Max in some ways – her toughness, her strength, and her sharp tongue. Buffy was a bit more like a teenage girl, however, while Max was matured due to all the life-or-death battles she'd been in.

"I'm trying to figure out how Angel could have lost his soul," Fang remarked aloud, and then sighed. "What could he have done that made him… happy?"

Thinking for a moment, Buffy replied, "Well, the first time he lost his soul, it had been after… well, we… um…" She looked uncomfortable. Fang looked at her, curious, and then she blurted out in a whisper, "We sort of… uh, you know…" She made a slight thrusting motion with her arm.

"Oh." Feeling slightly awkward, Fang shifted in his stance.

"But I don't think… unless… well…" Buffy left her sentence unfinished. Fang turned to face her, realization dawning on his face.

"Are you saying that Max and Angel might have…?" Fang rasped, his mouth suddenly dry.

"I don't know," Buffy said, and looked back at the unconscious Angel, over whom Willow was reciting a spell in Latin. "I'm just saying that it's how it happened the first time."

"I'm going to kill her," Fang muttered under his breath.

"What's that?"

"Nothing."

Willow's voice suddenly paused, and then she said in a low voice, "Uh oh."

Buffy's eyes widened as she raced back over to her friend. "Define 'uh oh'."

"Well, he should be cured," Willow said very slowly. "And I know I did everything right. It was a lot simpler than it was last time." She bit her lip nervously. "Um… but I think that we need an orb. One of the ones that we used last time. Giles might have one, but…"

Buffy's jaw dropped. "Oh, _son_ of a –"

"Can't we use something else?" Fang asked quickly, censoring Buffy's swear. "We don't exactly have time to go back to the library and find Giles, and have him look through his piles of crap for an orb thing."

"Well…" Willow paused. "I can look up some other methods in the Wicca volumes, and see if they match Ms. Calendar's references, but…" She sounded unsure.

"Whatever," Buffy said, starting to become anxious. "Let's just get it over and done with before he wakes up. God knows what havoc he could wreak upon Sunnydale if he gets loose again."

—

(Max's POV)

I glanced around the cavern, scanning the perimeter for Angel. She was nowhere to be seen – the vampires were obviously taking care to keep her guarded. I turned and beckoned silently to Nudge and Gazzy, who were both clutching water bottles of holy water (I was eternally thankful to Giles). Iggy brought up the rear, Total hiding in his backpack.

"Okay, guys," I whispered. "I'm going in. I'll try to locate Angel. Once I find her, I'll start a commotion. I want you guys to get Angel out of here, and _fast._ Once you do, go and get Fang, and leave Sunnydale."

"What about you?" whispered Nudge, her dark eyes welling up with tears. I sighed and took a deep breath.

"I think I'm gonna stay here. I have to figure out a way to destroy this Hellmouth thing, and kill the Master before he gets out. I have only two days to figure it all out." I smiled at the scared look on Nudge's face. "Don't worry – since when has anything gotten the better of me?" I gave her a hug.

"But Max," whispered the Gasman, "what if we can't get Angel? They probably have her guarded really well –"

"You'll get her out," I murmured. "I promise." I ruffled his hair, and then hissed, "Let's do this." I crept into the cavern, keeping to the walls, moving as silently as only a bird kid could.

I saw the damage from our last brawl here; the torn pieces of metal, and the piles of vampire dust. I tried to send a thought out to Angel, asking that if she could hear me, to send me a description of where she was. Just as I thought this, I saw her.

She was huddled over by the pond thing, her knees drawn up to her chest. A young boy was standing next to her, talking to her about something. Angel's face was shadowed, and she looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here. Well, I was going to get her out.

"Look who's back!"

Several vampire heads swiveled and stared at me as I jumped out from my hiding place, a mask of determination on my face. I scanned the area around me, and then I smirked. "Not much has changed since last time. I seriously hope that you have something better planned for me this time."

The vampires closed in on me, growling. One charged at me, fangs elongated, and tried to knock me down. I spun and kicked him in the face, and then staked him, sending his undead butt to the Underworld. Not long after, another vampire leapt at me, and then suddenly they were all on top of me. I let out my own snarls, fighting them off, not even bothering to punch them; I was staking them left and right.

I saw Angel spring to her feet, and the rest of my flock charge in. Nudge squirted some holy water at a vampire that ran at her, causing it to scream in agony. Iggy snatched Angel up and Gazzy, tailing him, kicked the boy that had been standing by her in the stomach. They all raced out, Nudge giving me one last look of hope. I nodded at her, and she raced away.

I have to admit, I fought. I fought with all the strength I possessed, which is a heck of a lot of muscle. I think that I used every single muscle in my body at least once, and bruised each one in a couple different places. I was strong, but I was losing; there were simply too many vampires for me to take on at once.

Finally, I felt the stake that I was holding snap. A vampire had grabbed it and crunched it in two pieces, grinning wickedly. I let out a roar of anguish and snapped my fist into his face, causing him to reel backward. Another vampire quickly took his place, and quite suddenly I was surrounded. Two vampires seized my arms, and another grabbed a hold of my jacket. I winced – my wings were right underneath the fabric, and I wasn't usually comfortable with people getting that close.

The vampires dragged/carried me into the candle-marked perimeter of the Master's lair. I made my face a mask, not allowing any emotion to show through. Despite my natural courage, I couldn't help but feel a little shiver of fear as I realized whom they were taking me to.

The Master.


End file.
